Nicola Vassell (born 1979) [1] is a Jamaica-born American art dealer, curator, and gallery owner. She is recognized as the first black woman to open an art gallery in the Chelsea Arts District of New York City. [2] [3] [4]
Vassell was born and raised in Jamaica. She moved to New York City in 1996 to work as a model. [5] She studied business and art history at New York University beginning in 2002. [6] [7]
In 2005, Vassell began working as an intern at the Deitch Projects gallery after meeting Jeffery Deitch at the 2004 Armory Show. [6] She became a director at Deitch in 2007, where she developed a close relationship with Kehinde Wiley and worked until its closure in 2010. [5] [6] [8] Vassell then served as a director at Pace Gallery between 2010 and 2012. [8]
In 2014, Vassell started her own contemporary art advisory and curatorial business, Concept NV. Through her firm, she curated a group exhibition, "Black Eye," which featured the work of contemporary black artists, including Derrick Adams, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Simone Leigh, Kerry James Marshall, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Sanford Biggers. [4] [8] [9] She also curated the artwork that appeared in Empire 's second season. [10] Vassell co-curated "Edge of Chaos," an exhibition about feminism and ecology, at the Venice Biennale in 2015. [8] The same year, she co-produced the No Commission Art Fair with Swizz Beatz as well as was appointed the curatorial director of the Dean Collection, a contemporary art collection founded by Beatz and Alicia Keys. [11]
In May 2021, Vassell opened her eponymous gallery on Tenth Avenue in Chelsea. [4] The gallery's inaugural show featured the work of Ming Smith. [12] In November 2023, Vassell announced a partnership with Hauser & Wirth for co-representation of artist Uman and the production of a jointly organized exhibition of her work at Hauser & Wirth London in January 2024. [13]