{"id":82423,"date":"2026-10-14T16:41:24","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T16:41:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/?post_type=product&#038;p=82423"},"modified":"2026-10-14T16:43:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T16:43:59","slug":"collecting-african-american-art","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/catalog\/collecting-african-american-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Collecting African American Art"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!-- Book Title & Intro --><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Collecting African American Art: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Collecting African American Art: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston&#8221; <\/strong>is an essential softcover volume published by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Co-authored by the eminent historian <strong>John Hope Franklin<\/strong> and curator <strong>Alvia J. Wardlaw<\/strong>, this beautifully illustrated 152-page book chronicles the preservation and celebration of African American visual culture.<\/p>\n<p><!-- Section: Overview --><\/p>\n<h3>Overview<\/h3>\n<p>This publication showcases both <strong>institutional and private efforts<\/strong> to collect, document, and preserve African American art in Houston, Texas. It serves as a testament to the dedication of collectors who recognized the immense historical and aesthetic value of Black art long before it achieved widespread mainstream museum representation.<\/p>\n<p><!-- Section: Key Features --><\/p>\n<h3>Key Features &amp; Content<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Historical Reflection:<\/strong> Features a passionate introductory essay by John Hope Franklin outlining his personal commitment to collecting and championing African American art.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Masterwork Discussions:<\/strong> Curator Alvia J. Wardlaw provides insightful commentary on works by canonical figures such as Robert S. Duncanson, Henry Ossawa Tanner, Horace Pippin, and Bill Traylor.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Contemporary Context:<\/strong> Explores modern and contemporary artistic contributions from figures like Kojo Griffin and Mequitta Ahuja.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Material Culture:<\/strong> Expands beyond traditional canvas and paper to include important historical objects, such as quilts, pottery, and a custom-made desk crafted by an enslaved African American artisan.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Black Intelligensia:<\/strong> Investigates the crucial role played by African American educators and cultural leaders at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><!-- Section: Book Specifications --><\/p>\n<h3>Book Specifications<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Title:<\/strong> Collecting African American Art: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston<\/li>\n<li><strong>Authors:<\/strong> John Hope Franklin and Alvia J. Wardlaw<\/li>\n<li><strong>Publisher:<\/strong> Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Distributed by Yale University Press)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Publication Date:<\/strong> March 2009<\/li>\n<li><strong>Format:<\/strong> Paperback \/ Softcover<\/li>\n<li><strong>Page Count:<\/strong> 152 pages<\/li>\n<li><strong>ISBN:<\/strong> 9780300152913<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This book is an invaluable asset for historians, curators, art lovers, and independent collectors who wish to explore the rich lineage of African American visual arts through a uniquely localized and historical framework.<\/p>\n<p>Mint as issued. [Black Studies]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Collecting African American Art: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston &#8220;Collecting African American Art: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston&#8221; is an essential softcover volume published by the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Co-authored by the eminent historian John Hope Franklin and curator Alvia J. Wardlaw, this beautifully illustrated 152-page book chronicles the preservation and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":82424,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[186,50,7,182,54],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-82423","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-african-american-art-bs","product_cat-art-history-theory","product_cat-arts-culture","product_cat-black-studies","product_cat-modernism-contemporary","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/82423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/82424"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=82423"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=82423"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebookbeat.com\/bookshop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=82423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}