GME News
On Tuesday, October 24th, 2023, actor Richard Roundtree died at the age of 81 following a brief battle with pancreatic cancer. A pioneering performer who broke down barriers for Black actors, Roundtree was photographed at the height of his fame by Hugh Bell, a photographer who broke down barriers for Black visual artists and whose body of work GME exclusively represents.
Read MoreHugh Bell, born and raised in Harlem, was an American photographer of Caribbean descent. He became most well-known in the 1950s for his photographs of jazz musicians. Bell also influenced a generation of photographers, most notably of the Kamoinge Workshop. In the 1980s and 1990s, Bell photographed Gay Culture, creating stylish portraits of individuals and couples in both candid and posed moments of self-expression. Particularly noteworthy was his singular effort to depict African-Americans who participated in these celebrations, which include Gay Pride, Wigstock, and the Greenwich Village Halloween parades.
Read MoreThe recent landmark Supreme Court decision guaranteeing employment protection on a Federal level for the LGBTQ community underscores the contemporary relevance of a selection of photographs of African American gay and lesbians (pictured above and below), which were taken decades ago by photographer Hugh Bell (1927-2012).
Read MoreOver the past several years, Gartenberg Media Enterprises (GME) has worked diligently to further the legacy of talented African-American artist Hugh Bell, whose photography career began in the early 1950s. We are pleased to announce that the Katherine E. Nash Gallery at the Department of Art, University of Minnesota, will feature Hugh Bell’s work in their forthcoming exhibition projected for September of 2021, entitled “ A Picture Gallery of the Soul,” which will celebrate the work of African American photographers. The gallery, situated on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, also promotes art as a means to address the issues of social justice, especially relevant because of the murder of George Floyd in that city.
Read MoreHugh Bell was of St. Lucian ancestry, and quite a number of his photographs focused on his Afro-Caribbean roots.
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