Hamill gallery African Art News

African Arts >> Buy African Art

Click to subscribe to the free African-Antiques newsletter !Visit my amazon store read african art books

Want insider tips >> join the African Art Club ....

Mail David Norden Sint-katelijnevest 27 B2000 ANTWERPEN-Belgium  (map) Tel +32 3 227 35 40

African Art portal. Stay informed. Build your African Art dream collection !David Norden 
African Arts Info

Mail David Norden

Join David Norden's African Art Newsletter, it's free:


 

Hamill Gallery: From Dudley, a magical African trip

By Andrew Clark found at boston.com Globe Correspondent / June 29, 2008

Hamill GalleryOn the first floor, a group of 2,500-year-old Nigerian terra-cotta statues are on display. Textiles, stitched by hand and foot, adorn the walls, while meticulously crafted jewelry and wooden statuettes are exhibited in glass cases.

It's a world-class art gallery. And it's in Roxbury, near Dudley Square.

"Most of the art galleries in Boston just reflect the culture of today, contemporary issues, and American tastes," said Bobbi Hamill, who runs the Hamill Gallery of African Art with her husband, Tim.

"But here in this gallery, there is a window into an entirely different world. Everything in here has a magical meaning to it."

Situated two-thirds of a mile southeast of the Museum of Fine Arts and a short walk from the Melnea Cass Boulevard stop on the Silver Line, the Hamill gallery charges no admission fee for visitors to peruse artworks throughout its 7,000-square-foot exhibition space.

Though Roxbury may not be the first place you'd expect to find such a collection, Tim said his gallery is part of a thriving art community.

"It's nice to be here in Roxbury," he said. "There is a very nice art scene here. There are institutions such as ACT Roxbury, which oversees art and craft activities in the community, the Museum of the National Center of Afro-American Artists, and the annual open studios event. They are gradually adding to the art community, too."

In turn, the gallery helps foster the arts in the neighborhood. "The gallery is not too expensive for the average person, and it's a gallery where you don't walk in and feel threatened," said Cynthia Becker, a Boston University professor with a specialty in African art.

"I've taken my art class there and it was a great learning opportunity for them to find out more about African art and the African art market."

Tim's interest in African art stretches back to his college years at Boston University, when he saw his first examples of what would one day become his passion. About 20 years later, in the early 1980s, Hamill began collecting African art from flea markets and galleries in New York and Boston. These days, people from Africa come to Roxbury and bring art to Tim's door.

"I'm very fortunate to be able to work with my passion," said Tim. "Most people would consider this a hobby, but for me it's also my business. I collect the art first because I like it."

The gallery opened in 1990 after being converted from a picture-framing business that Tim, a BU College of Fine Arts graduate, ran out of the same building for the previous 10 years. In 2003, he married Bobbi, whom he met when she bought art from him, and they've run the gallery together since.

The Hamills are helped out by Rand Smith, an African art expert (??) who moved to Boston from Colorado last year and runs his own African art business called Rand Tribal.

"Rand is a tremendous amount of what we know," said Bobbi.

The small staff means each person has an immense amount of work. The Hamills are constantly setting up shows, editing their website (hamillgallery.com), packing and shipping artwork, among their many duties.

The Hamill gallery changes its exhibits four times each year, and an exhibition of all white-colored objects is planned for sometime this summer. Overall, 75 tribes are represented in the Hamills' extensive collection.

On the second floor, the Hamills have set up a reading room. Visitors can thumb through a library filled with hundreds of books, giving them a more efficient way to learn about African art, compared with the Internet.

"It's surprising that Greater Boston doesn't avail itself more often to the resources that we have here," said Bobbi. "We have textbook publishers who come from around the world to us to take pictures of our art to put in their books. The gallery is a terrific resource, and it has really been underutilized."

The gallery sustains itself financially by selling some of the artworks. Its top floor and its basement serve as a warehouse for about 40,000 objects, with everything from hand-carved doors to masks used to create the illusion of breathing fire. Browsing through the website uncovers prices ranging from $50 for a beaded hat from the Kuba people, to $5,000 for a Songye mask.

The majority of the Hamills' sales are via the Internet, though most of the visitors to the gallery - some hail from as far away as Japan, France, and Australia - are clients looking to add to their art collections.

For Bobbi, the finances are less important that the artwork itself.

"Everything in this gallery has so much meaning," she said. "There is an aspect of magic to all of this art. There are things here that were used for healing purposes. There are things here that were meant to protect homes from intruders. Everything has this magic behind it."

The gallery, at 2164 Washington St., is open from noon until 6 p.m. through the summer on Thursdays through Sundays.

 

African Art on Facebook

Share

Recent postings:

Art of the DogonArt of the Dogon new book of JB Bedaux

Best Wishes African Art 2012

NYC-Tribal-Art-Week update your calendar- Request for african art dealers to participate. 7th-13th May 2012

L'art africain flambe aux Enchères

My Paris Hotels in Saint Germain

african artifacts for sale Jones & Key

Heroic Africans Portraits of Power: African Kings in an Age of Empire

tattoo for art a selection of tattoo art

Books:

Surfaces: Color, Substances, and Ritual Applications on African Sculpture (African Expressive Cultures)

Surfaces: Color, Substances, and Ritual App...

african_faces

more african art books

visit my amazon store

In this section :

Home
Up
Philippe Laremans
Andre Kirbach
African Art dealers
Tookalook com - Canada
Afrikaanse Kunst Nederland
Bedaux Art Brussels
Joaqin Pecci
Didier Claes
Kevin Conru
Bernard de Grunne
Hamill gallery
Marnix Neerman
het magazijn
alain naoum
Yann Ferrandin
Ritual gallery Renauld Roger
african art photography
Nault Gallery
Africa Direct
Interview with Amyas Naegele
african heritage
tribal art gallery
african artifacts for sale

African Antiques e-Newsletter
Dan mask collected by Houzeau de Lehaie in 1936We help you create your Dream Collection!

A Dan mask collected in 1936 by Houzeau de Lehaie

David, I never thought I would receive so much information's about the African art world ! Dealers, auctions, museum exhibitions, fairs, etc...

Subscribe to our free newsletter today : 


 

african art | african antiques | african art shop | african art club

African Art : follow me on TwitterMail David Norden
Sint-katelijnevest 27
ANTWERPEN-Belgium

Tel +32 3 227 35 40

David Norden


Share

David Norden African Arts profile on facebook | African Arts on twitter

a few african art advertisers:

tribal art gallery | Amyas Naegele | Bedaux Brussels | Zemanek |  african art dealersorigine expert, etc....

discussion groups :

African Art |Art Africain 

African Art on facebook

Sites Roll :

Airfare, Hotels, Rental Cars, Vacation PackagesWhen you travel search your hotel room with priceline.com >>

African Art Visit our online gallery

African Art Books David Norden's selection

African Art Club, be an insider, pro African Art collectors and dealers access  !

Buy African Antiques Genuine fine African Antiques from known collections.

African art blog

excellent diamonds | diamonds news |making up | Mint Robot

African Antiques e-Newsletter
I never thought I would receive so much information's about the African art world !

Home
Up

Hope you enjoyed reading this article about Hamill gallery. To stay informed about little known auctions and receive insiders images of exhibitions and fairs and receive special members privileges join the African Art Club for a low monthly fee and become a better collector ....

Buy African Antiques & African Art books:  Discover more books I like, visit my amazon store

TIP: Discuss this article with your friends on Share

If you are a collector you should visit Buy African Antiques to discover genuine African art. David Norden is a serious dealer expert in African Art since 1992 and grew up among it. Buy African Antiques is a good place if you want a selection of authentic pieces coming from known collections, you will get free delivery and fifteen days guarantee

Learn more about Hamill gallery ? Search for "Hamill gallery" books at Amazon

Read also in this section:  Home ] Up ] Philippe Laremans ] Andre Kirbach ] African Art dealers ] Tookalook com - Canada ] Afrikaanse Kunst Nederland ] Bedaux Art Brussels ] Joaqin Pecci ] Didier Claes ] Kevin Conru ] Bernard de Grunne ] [ Hamill gallery ] Marnix Neerman ] het magazijn ] alain naoum ] Yann Ferrandin ] Ritual gallery Renauld Roger ] african art photography ] Nault Gallery ] Africa Direct ] Interview with Amyas Naegele ] african heritage ] tribal art gallery ] african artifacts for sale ]  

African Art portal. Stay informed. Build your African Art dream collection !

Click to Buy African Antiques 
Discover David Norden's African Art Collection

Visit David Norden in Antwerp till end November
Sint Katelijnevest 27. B-2000 Antwep. Belgium. Tel.: +32 3 227.35.40

We advise great collections since 1992 !

Mail David Norden

Mail David Norden Sint-katelijnevest 27 B2000 ANTWERPEN-Belgium (map) Tel +32 3 227 35 40

museum news  | African Art Dealers  |  | African Art Fairs  | African Art Auctions | do you love | subscribe | African Art ClubMonitored by BelStat - Your Site Counts

Click to subscribe to the free African-Antiques newsletter !The African Antiques newsletter

 

Want to buy some genuine African Art ? 
masks
| statues | objects | outside
Site Meter