“Black artists were not lying dormant like orchids, waiting for water to flow from the mainstream.
Noel
As Theaster Gates stated in the 2021 HBO film ‘Black artists produced magnificent work in the absence of light.’
So too, Black owned galleries, dealers, advisors, liaisons; also toiled for generations to present and avail the work; often ignored by the very institutions that laud it today. It’s incredibly rewarding to have worked through the cusp of this shift in the canon.”
Over the course of her career as a gallerist and contemporary fine art dealer, Noel has known, represented, recommended, and acquired work from the foremost African-American artists. She has maintained wonderful, respectful, collaborative relationships with artists, galleries, and artist’ representatives, both nationally and internationally, that allow her to secure work across a range of media for her client’s collections.
Barbara Chase-Riboud
Noel initiated contact with Barbara Chase-Riboud in 2005 and solely represented her in the United States for nine years from 2005- 2014, placing significant sculptures in private and museum collections. Acknowledged in the Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition monograph “Barbara Chase Riboud The Malcolm X Steles”, internationally renowned curator, Carlos Basualdo writes, “B.E. Noel of Noel Art Liaison, Inc deserves special mention for her strength of character and gracious efforts beyond the call of duty.”
John Vick, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Carlos Basualdo
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Sam Gilliam
Noel with Sam Gilliam at the opening reception for Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, Washington DC. Gilliam is an internationally acclaimed abstract painter, one of the great innovators in postwar American painting. Noel first exhibited Gilliam 1998.
Noel, Sam Gilliam
Richard Hunt
Richard Hunt was considered a prodigy when in 1969, at age of 34, he became the first African American sculptor to be honored with a retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His illustrious career spans over fifty years.
Richard Hunt, Noel
“It’s been one of the distinct pleasures of my career to know Richard Hunt, to have exhibited his sculptures, and to have worked with him on public and private commissions. “
Noel
Simone Leigh
From the moment Noel encountered her Hottentot Venus Vessels in 2002, she knew Simone Leigh was extraordinarily gifted!
She included her work in a curated exhibit entitled “Eros Negras” and had the pleasure to place her early work in collections. Noel states: “It is wonderful to observe a young artist grow into her fullest potential. I could not be more proud of her ascent.”
Simone Leigh will make history as the first black woman to represent the United States in the US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale 2022!
Willie Little
“Willie Little was given the honorary title of “gallery baby” in 1998 because he was a burgeoning young artist, filled with a unique story to share through his brilliant story telling and distinct mixed media constructions.”
Noel
Noel Gallery provided an inspirational space where Willie could meet master artists like Benny Andrews and Sam Gilliam, two legendary Black male artists from the South.
Their beacon along with Noel’s guidance and support led him to successful national and international residencies and exhibitions. His most iconic body of work “Juke Joint” has toured throughout the United States and has been juried into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Museum of African American Art History & Culture.
Joyce Scott
“At first glance, her art seared into my spirit and memory! Her 1992 SECCA (South Eastern Center for Contemporary Art) Joyce Scott’s ‘Nanny now, Nigger later’ was visually arresting with the most audacious title I had known to date.
It has been a thrill to know her, to have exhibited her work, and to have facilitated a gift to the Mint Museum collection. She is a 2016 MacArthur Fellow Sculptor -beadwork”
https://www.macfound.org/fellows/class-of-2016/joyce-j-scott
David C. Driskell
1931-2020
“Knowing and respecting David Driskell is a given but to have him know and respect me was an honor”.
Noel
David C. Driskell was an American artist, scholar, and curator; recognized for his work in establishing African-American Art as a distinct field of study. In his lifetime, Driskell was cited as one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject of African-American Art.
