Painting by Detroit artist Tylonn Sawyer is the first work purchased from the Black Art Acquisition Fund for DIA
A painting by Detroit artist Tylonn Sawyer is the first work acquired by a fund established in 2020 to acquire African American art for the permanent collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
The IAD Junior Council of Founders chose Sawyer’s “White on White: Stone Mountain” as the first work acquired through the African American Art Acquisition Fund. The 144-by-60-inch painting shows black men in white suits lying – albeit uncomfortably – on the Confederate Stone Mountain monument, a massive sculpture carved into a mountain near Atlanta.
“The Detroit Institute of Arts is proud to add to its collection Tylonn Sawyer’s powerful painting, ‘White on White: Stone Mountain’, completed in 2019,” said Valerie Mercer, curator and director of the Center for African American Art at the DIA, in a press release. declaration. “It focuses on the recent demand for the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces in America. Tylonn’s awe-inspiring imagery successfully evokes anxiety about being black in America. As a contemporary artist and activist, he often examines historical narratives and images to determine their role in what is happening in America today. We look forward to sharing this art with our visitors, to demonstrate the depth of intellectual and creative engagement in the work of Detroit artists . ”
“It was a dream of mine to have a work of art in the DIA, considering it’s one of the best collections in the country and it’s located here in my hometown of Detroit, Michigan, “Sawyer said in a statement. “It is truly an honor to be chosen by a panel of people from my own city.”
“Historically, Detroit has always been a global pipeline for black artistic talent and progressive voices,†former FJC chairman Nathaniel Wallace said in a statement. “Creating a fund that will live within the permanent collection of the DIA, exposing generations of museum visitors to the wealth and brilliant work of our black Detroit artists, was paramount to the board of directors and important to the culture. . “
In 2020, the FJC allocated $ 250,000 to purchase African American art for the DIA’s permanent collection.
The FJC announces that it will begin the search for the second artist and collectible work in 2022.
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