MERTON D. SIMPSON

THE MAN, THE ARTIST, THE GALLERIST AND THE PHILANTHROPIST MERTON D. SIMPSON THE MAN! ! With a world-renowned eye and more than fifty years in business, Merton D. Simpson is one of the most respected African and tribal art dealers in the world. He has been instrumental in helping individuals and institutions build comprehensive, culturally significant collections.

While Simpson, 83, is probably best known as an African art expert and gallerist, he is also an accomplished artist. He was one of few African-American painters to receive recognition in the 1950s; his works were included in shows at the Guggenheim and The Metropolitan Museum of Art among many other prominent institutions around the world. Merton Simpson lives in New York City.

“Merton Simpson, the man himself is legend.” - Lisa Zeitz, Frankfurter Allgemeine, Germany, July 3 2012 MERTON D. SIMPSON GALLERY BRIEF SYNOPSIS

Merton D. Simpsonʼs first introduction to tribal art came by way of his New York University professor, Hale Woodruff, but it was Simpsonʼs global travel and interest in the communities he encountered that solidified his decision to collect and exhibit tribal art. As a painter, Simpson was inspired by African art, similarly to artists such as Pablo Picasso and Willem de Kooning, and as a collector, he worked closely with Allan Stone, and other brilliant dealers — explorers of tribal art's influence on modern and contemporary art — to build a museum-quality collection, now housed at the Merton D. Simpson Gallery in New York City. The Merton D. Simpson galleries in Paris and New York were integral in establishing the Romare Bearden, Merton Simpson and Hale significance of tribal art, and his reputation Woodruff at MDS Gallery in New York City circa 1980 remains until this day

“As an art dealer Simpson is known for connoisseurship based on his refined taste and good eye.” - Thomas M. Shaw THE ARTIST The early years: 1928 - 1954

• Born September 20th, 1928 in Charleston, SC.

• As a child, Merton Simpson was frequently in the hospital with diphtheria. While in the hospital, he took to doodling and sketching cartoon characters from the Sunday comics.

• At the age of 13, Simpson met local artist and art teacher, William Halsey who took him under his wing. Halsey taught art at Gibbes Gallery, in the segregated south, Simpson was not allowed to enroll in classes.

• Simpson was the first African American to receive a prestigious five-year fellowship from the Charleston Scientific and Cultural Education fund.

• From 1949 – 1951, Simpson attended New York University and Cooper Union. He took classes at NYU during the day and Cooper Union at night. He studied under Robert Gwathmey (Cooper Union) and Hale Woodruff (NYU) and met Robert Motherwell and William Baziotes.

• Simpson worked at a frame shop to support himself during college, where he came in contact with Franz Kline, Max Weber and Willem de Kooning. The artists who frequented the frame shop often critiqued young Simpsonʼs work. • Simpson was enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 as an official Air Force Artist until 1954. This lead to his portrait of President Dwight Eisenhower, who was a General at the time. PAINTING HISTORY 1950ʼs

1951 • Work appears in an exhibition at Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY. 1952 • Watercolor Exhibition, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY. 1954 • Younger American Painters, Guggenheim Museum, New York, Red Poem, 1956 NY. Oil on Canvas 1955 25” x 35.25” • Bertha Schaefer Gallery, New York, NY. 1956 • Eight New York Painters, Museum Comment: of Art, University of Michigan, Ann Landscape painting inspired by Arbor, MI. Simpsonʼs love of the setting sun. 1959 • Travels to Europe for the first time. ! ! IMPORTANT PAINTINGS LANDSCAPE 1950ʼs

Night Light, 1953 Oil on Canvas Green Sun, 1953 36” x 40 Oil on Canvas 39.5” x 35.5” PAINTING HISTORY 1960ʼs

1960 • Krasner Gallery, New York, NY. 1963 • Travels to Europe for the second time. • Romare Bearden invited a group of African- American artist to discuss how they can contribute to the civil rights movement, and the Spiral Group was formed. • Acquisitions, Paintings, Drawings, Prints, and Sculptures, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. 1965 • Travels to Europe for the third time and establishes residency in Paris. • The Spiral Black and White Exhibit, Spiral Group, New York, 1965. Sky Story II, 1963 Oil on Canvas 53” x 59” IMPORTANT PAINTINGS Spiral Group: Confrontation Series 1963-69

Confrontation Series, 28A, 1966 Confrontation Series, 28AA, 1966 Oil on Canvas Oil on Canvas 40” x 60” 40” x 60”

Spiral Group Members: Charles Alston, Emma Amos, Romare Bearden, Calvin Douglass, Perry Ferguson, Reginald Gammon, Alvin Hollingsworth, Felrath Hines, Norman Lewis, William Majors, Richard Mayhew, Earl Miller, Merton D. Simpson, Hale Woodruff, and James Yeargans. THE GALLERIST: MERTON D. SIMPSON GALLERY CIRCA 1970ʼS

Madison Ave Location, New York City TRIBAL AND CONTEMPORARY ART COLLECTION

Today, the Merton D. Simpson Gallery collection is comprised of outstanding museum quality tribal art pieces. The collection also includes important works of contemporary art, by artists including Norman Lewis, Arman, Beauford Delaney, Romare Bearden and Merton D. Simpson.

Charles Alston (1907-1997) The Head, 1960 Pen on paper 16 ½ x 14 ½ inches POWER SYMBOLS

Ethiopian Cross Nafana Dance Mask Ethiopia Ghana/Ivory Coast Wood 1st quarter of 20th Century 14.5” x 5.5” Wood with raffia and pigment Inv# 8412 61 ¾” h Inv# 6750 ! ROYAL GOLD

Ashanti Royal Sandals Baule Gold Leaf Chair Ghana Ivory coast Wood overlaid with gold leaf Wood Overlaid by Gold Leaf and leather 17 ¾” 11” x 5” ! FEMALE POWER MASKS

Ejagham (Ekoi) Mask Songye Mask Nigeria/Cameroon (Cross River Region) Zaire Skin, Wood and Rattan wood 22” x 22” Inv# 6414 Provenance: Marc Riviere, 1992 THE PHILANTHROPIST Jennie Simpson African Art Collection Educational Initiative

In 1970, Merton Simpson donated over fifty works of traditional African Art towards an educational initiative for Black Studies Workshops that were made available at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Simpson believed that bringing the objects closer to the students with slide presentations and by allowing them to touch the pieces would demystify the associations placed on African Art. He also hoped to attract more black and brown students who were interested to learn more about traditional African art and culture through this initiative. Over fifty objects of traditional African Art remain in the Jennie Simpson Collection at the Brooklyn Museum of Art until this day. Simpson donated major works to many museums Yoruba Ibeji throughout his career to include the Studio Museum of Nigeria Harlem (New York), The Metropolitan Museum (New Wood York), The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art 10” (Washington D.C) among many other prominent museums and collections around the world. OUR MISSION

With a legacy that spans well over sixty years, Merton D. Simpson Gallery is considered the premier gallery of traditional African and African-American Art in the United States.

Merton D. Simpson Gallery aims to partner with private collections and institutions to build comprehensive, culturally significant collections of Traditional African Art. Past clients include The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NY), Brooklyn Museum of Art (NY), The Guggenheim Museum (NY), Studio Museum of Harlem (NY) The British Museum (London) and The Louvre (Paris) to name a few. The Merton D. Simpson Gallery is located in New York City.