SOLIDARY & SOLITARY: The Joyner/Giuffrida Collection Opens April 24 At PAMM

Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) is pleased to present Solidary & Solitary: The Joyner/Giuffrida Collection, an exhibition that follows the history of African American abstract art, featuring 40 selections from the collection of Pamela J. Joyner and Alfred J. Giuffrida, opening on April 24, 2020.

The exhibition will highlight the pivotal role that African American artists have played in developing the discourse of abstract art from the 1940s to the present, exploring abstract art as more than just a style, but as a political focus. The collection celebrates this intergenerational achievement while encapsulating how abstraction developed from modernism into a crucial strategy for social change and a tool for political and individual autonomy.

"I have had the honor of working with Pamela and Fred for several years and have admired their work as collectors as much as patron saints and supporters to a generation of contemporary artists," said PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans. "Their incredible support has enabled artists to dream big and work with an agency in the world that has helped change the way we see artists as agents of social change."

The collection embodies a historical narrative that features twelve iconic artists, including Norman Lewis, Mel Edwards, Sam Gilliam, Mark Bradford, Leonardo Drew, Glenn Ligon, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, among others. Organized in solos and duets, Solidary & Solitary spotlights both solo presentations from artists as well as the relationship between two artists. Duets will be presented by Leonardo Drew and Melvin Edwards; Mark Bradford and Jack Whitten; Glenn Ligon and Jennie C. Jones; and Kevin Beasley and Shinique Smith. Solos include Charles Gaines, Norman Lewis, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.

Collector Pamela Joyner will be honored at PAMM's Art + Soul Celebration on February 15, which supports and celebrates the museum's Fund for African American Art. Like PAMM, Joyner and Giuffrida have been instrumental in creating a central seat for African American artists.

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