Wein African American Art Collection to Be Displayed at Boston University

While George (pictured) and Joyce Wein may be best known for their commitment and work in the music industry, especially concert promotion, the couple was also avid art collectors. Their 60-piece collection of African American art will be exhibited in the coming months in Boston for music and art fans alike. The exhibition, Syncopated Rhythms: 20th Century African American Art from the George and Joyce Wein Collection will begin Nov. 18 and continue through Jan. 22, 2006 at Boston University. Patricia Hills, Professor of Art History at the university, will debut the couple’s collection of artwork in the school’s gallery.

The collection will showcase sixty works, from 1920 to 1990, by the following artists: Charles Alston, Benny Andrews, Ernie Barnes, Richmond Barthe, Romare Bearden, John Biggers, Bruce Brice, Elizabeth Catlett, Eldzier Cortor, Allan Rohan Crite, Miles Davis, Beauford Delaney, Joseph Delaney, Aaron Douglas, Minnie Evans, Palmer Hayden, Oliver Johnson, William H. Johnson, Loïs Mailou Jones, Wifredo Lam, Jacob Lawrence, Hughie Lee-Smith, Norman Lewis, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Faith Ringgold, Betye Saar, Augusta Savage, Bob Thompson, Charles White, Michael Kelly Williams, William T. Williams, Ellis Wilson, John Wilson, Hale Woodruff and Richard Yarde. Many of the works are music and musician themed, and some artists, such as Miles Davis, Sister Gertrude Morgan and Romare Bearden, were musicians themselves.

Throughout their 58 years together, the Weins were very active in the worlds of music and art. They created many well-known music festivals, including the Newport Jazz Festival, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and the Grande Parade du Jazz in Nice, France. The pair also established the Joyce and George Wein Chair of African American studies at Boston University and the Alexander Family Endowed Scholarship Fund at Simmons College. Adding to their accomplishments, George Wein was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Masters Fellowship this year. Joyce died recently, on Aug. 15, of cancer at age 76.

The exhibition will commence with a reception on Nov. 17 from 6-8 p.m. at the Boston University Art Gallery on 855 Commonwealth Avenue. Call the gallery at (617) 353-3329 or visit their Web Site at www.bu.edu/art for more information. All exhibitions and events are free to the public.

Originally Published September 12, 2005