Cosby's art paired with African art at Smithsonian
Source: AP-Excite
By BRETT ZONGKER
WASHINGTON (AP) — Everybody knows Bill Cosby's humor, but the comedian has kept his artistic tastes close at home. Now the extensive art collection of Bill and Camille Cosby is opening to the public for the first time Sunday at the Smithsonian Institution, revealing some works by African-American artists that until now have been seen only by family and friends.
The exhibition not only celebrates African-American heritage, it also provides a glimpse at works the Cosbys have enjoyed intimately, with pieces ranging from a masterwork that had remained hidden for a half-century before Camille Cosby recognized its value, to a quilt made from their slain son's clothes. More than 60 artworks from the Cosby collection are being displayed through early 2016 alongside 100 pieces of African works at the National Museum of African Art in Washington.
Surrounded by these artworks in a Smithsonian gallery, the Cosbys sat down to discuss their passion for collecting, and for once, Bill Cosby let his wife take the floor, describing how they came to love art together and their hopes that the exhibit will foster a new appreciation for works by black artists long silenced or ignored.
"I hope that people will become emotionally attached to these paintings," she told The Associated Press. "I really want people to feel something."
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In this photo taken Nov. 6, 2014, members of the media tour the Bill and Camille Cosby collection at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art in Washington. The Smithsonian Institution is mounting a major showcase of African-American art and African art together in a new exhibit featuring the extensive art collection of Bill and Camille Cosby. More than 60 rarely seen African-American artworks from the Cosby collection will join 100 pieces of African art at the National Museum of African Art. The exhibit {201c}Conversations: African and African American Artworks in Dialogue,{201d} opens Sunday and will be on view through early 2016. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141108/us-art-bill-cosby-bfdd31a26f.html
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