Black Gallerists Press Forward Despite a Market That Holds Them Back

THE NEW YORK TIMES 
By By Robin Pogrebin
“The art world is still segregated,” said Myrtis Bedolla, owner of Galerie Myrtis in Baltimore, shown with Delita Martin’s “Star Children,” which includes drawing, sewing, painting and collage. Michael A. McCoy for The New York Times
Art Basel’s online viewing rooms went live on Thursday, presenting 281 of the world’s leading modern and contemporary art galleries. Not one of them is owned by an African-American. Despite the increasing attention being paid to black artists — many of whom have been snatched up by mega dealers and seen the prices for their work surge at auction — the number of black-owned galleries representing artists in the United States remains strikingly, stubbornly low. There is only one African-American gallerist in the 176-member Art Dealers Association of America, a professional group. [More]