AMONG THE HALLMARKS of Arnold Lehman’s nearly two-decade tenure as director of the Brooklyn Museum was his focus on community engagement, popular culture, and the visibility of African American artists. After retiring in 2015, he transitioned from the museum world to the auction world, joining Phillips as a special adviser to the CEO, Edward Dolman. The role has Lehman serving as a resource to specialists, identifying museum exhibitions Phillips should support, trotting the globe as the auction house considers its expansion strategy, and curating selling exhibitions. “I don’t get directly involved with the auctions,” Lehman says. His second exhibition for Phillips is called “American African American.” It opens Nov. 8 in London and picks up where the Tate Museum’s “Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power” left off, presenting works produced in the 1980s to the present. The selling exhibition features 26 works by three generations of critically recognized contemporary artists, including Jean Michel-Basquiat (1960-1988), Nina Chanel Abney, Derrick Adams, Sanford Biggers, Leonardo Drew, Theaster Gates, David Hammons, Rashid Johnson, Adam Pendleton, Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems, Jack Whitten, and Fred Wilson, among others. I spoke to Lehman about his vision for the exhibition, desire […]
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