Nicola Vassell

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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]

Contents

Early life and education

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]

Career

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]

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References

  1. ↑ Neyfakh, Leon (2010-06-02). "Art Dealers Re-up". Observer. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  2. ↑ "For Nicola Vassell, Art Market Success Is Rooted in Character". Observer. 2024-10-24. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  3. ↑ Mechling, Lauren; Silverstone, Tom; Gilliam, Brendan; Herring, Sophia (2023-04-05). "'Every day a revolution': the first Black woman to open a Chelsea gallery shakes up the art world". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  4. 1 2 3 Packard, Cassie (2022-11-25). "Gallerist Nicola Vassell considers the Caribbean context". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  5. 1 2 Freeman, Nate (2020-10-23). "Wet Paint: Swizz Beatz's Longtime Curator Is Opening a Gallery, Damien Hirst's Shirt May Flip for a Fortune, & More Art-World Gossip". Artnet News. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  6. 1 2 3 Lee, Felicia R. (2009-02-02). "A Shaper of Talent for a Changing Art World". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2023-08-09. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  7. ↑ Anderson, Krysta (2021-05-30). "Her Way of Art: Former Jamaican model Nicola Vassell opens gallery in New York". The Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Pogrebin, Robin (2021-05-18). "A Rare Black-Owned Art Gallery Lands in Chelsea". The New York Times .
  9. ↑ Chan, Dawn (2014-05-01). "A Group Show in TriBeCa Explores Black Identity Today". T Magazine. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  10. ↑ Scruggs, Danielle (2019-02-14). "Meet the Curator Working With Swizz Beatz to Showcase the 'Black Renaissance' Happening in Art". Observer. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  11. ↑ Boyd-Griffith, Shelton (2021-05-20). "Art Curator Nicola Vassell Debuts Her New Gallery In New York City". Grazia USA. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  12. ↑ "'Unity is survival': former Pace director Nicola Vassell to open a gallery in New York". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  13. ↑ "Welcoming Uman to Hauser & Wirth in Partnership with Nicola Vassell Gallery". Hauser & Wirth. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
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