Artsy Announces a Benefit Auction in Support of the Equal Justice Initiative

Artsy, a global online art marketplace, has announced a series of programming aimed at spotlighting emerging and established Black artists in celebration of Black History Month. The first event in the series, opening today, is a special auction benefitting the Equal Justice Initiative.

From February 11 through 25, collectors will have the opportunity to acquire works by Purvis Young, Hayal Pozanti, Omar Victor Diop and others which have been donated by their respective galleries. 80 percent of the net proceeds generated by the auction will be going to the the Equal Justice Initiative and the remainder will benefit the participating galleries, including Jessica Silverman Gallery, Pinto Gallery, Various Small Fires, Salon 94, Kavi Gupta, Gavlak and Magnin-A.

Hayal Pozanti, 23 (YUNU), 2020. Courtesy of Jessica Silverman Gallery, San Francisco.Hayal Pozanti

Additional Artsy programming will include “Artsy Spotlight: Portrayals of Black Joy by Today’s Emerging Artists” in partnership with OUTFRONT Media. The spotlight includes works by rising Black artists Derrick Adams, Dominic Chambers, Sola Olulode, and Kay Hickman portraying their various interpretations of “Black joy.” The works will be displayed in transit systems in several large U.S. metropolitan areas throughout this month. There will also be weekly curated group shows hosted on Artsy’s website, including this week’s “Textured Histories: From Weaving to Collage,” curated by Adeola Gay which examines Black artists’ use of materiality and craft mediums like quilting, braided textiles and avant-garde sculpture.

To bid on and view the full selection of available artworks, visit the Artsy benefit auction webpage.

The Bronx-based collective Ghetto Gastro is also launching programming around Black History Month, including the relaunch of its newsletter and a limited return of its sold-out James Baldwin T-shirt.