Celebrating the Legacy of the Iconic Samella Lewis, aka Godmother of Black Art
How one woman integrated Black artists into the American canon for decades.
Like James Brown was the “Godfather of Soul”, Aretha Franklin, “Godmother of Soul”, and Samella Lewis was the “Godmother” of Black Art. Ms. Lewis was an educator, professor, activist, historian, author, curator, professor, gallerist, collector, mentor, and artist who wrote influential books and curated shows sharing art as she changed the landscape of African American art history for almost eight decades by documenting, and elevating Black artists.
Her love for Black art afforded her to serve as the curatorial fellow on the 2011 Hammer Museum exhibition “Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960–80. Ms. Lewis’s reputation always preceded her. Many have referred to her as a “Renaissance Woman” because of her scope and knowledge afforded her espousing in various subjects which made admirers and colleagues take note of her genius.
Ms. Lewis published books on Black artists and was the force behind “Art: African American” and its revision “African American Art and Artists”, a key text on the history of Black art in the United States.
In the early 1970s, Lewis operated the L.A. art spaces Multi-Cul and the Gallery, a platform for notable Los Angeles Artists during…
