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MARGARET ROS E VENDRYE S HANGING O N THEI R WALL S AN ART COMMENTARY ON LYNCHING, THE FORGOTTE N 193 5 AR T EXHIBITIO N Countless ar t exhibitions have been held in New York City in any given year since the second decade of the twentieth century , when th e metropolis bega n t o claim its place as art capital of the world. But before 1935 , no gallery had hoste d an exhibitio n specifi c t o issue s concernin g African-America n men . Wit h th e opening o f An Art Commentary on Lynching tha t year , ar t became , fo r th e firs t time, a n experimenta l vehicl e fo r counterin g negativ e attitude s towar d blac k men. An orchestrated effor t o f this caliber would not b e seen again in New York City unti l 1994 , whe n th e Whitne y Museu m o f America n Ar t hoste d Black Male: Representations of Masculinity in Contemporary Art. Wel l ove r hal f a century afte r An Art Commentary, severa l work s i n th e Whitne y exhibitio n reflected th e persistence an d pertinenc e o f lynching as a theme relevan t t o blac k 9 MARGARET ROS E VENDRYE S men eve n thoug h litera l lynchin g ha d bee n obliterated . Lynching' s manifesta tions i n America n visua l ar t bega n wit h on e man' s brainstor m i n 1934 . Wha t was intende d a s a n over t ye t measure d metho d o f popularizin g th e protes t o f lynching (over t becaus e th e purpos e wa s deliberat e an d political ; measure d because unde r th e protectio n o f th e "fin e art " label , th e volatil e topi c becam e tempered fo r publi c consumption ) inspire d th e creatio n o f objects reflectin g a n unequaled variet y o f attitudes towar d African-America n me n an d th e rac e con flicts in which the y figured. An Art Commentary on Lynching took place at the Arthur U. Newton Gallerie s on East 57t h Stree t in New York City; it opened o n Februar y 15 , 1935, and ra n for tw o weeks (se e catalog cover, figure 1) . The numbe r o f visitors fa r exceede d expectations. Thi s wa s due , i n part , t o th e last-minut e cancellatio n o f th e exhibition b y it s origina l host , Jacque s Seligman n Galleries . Th e cancellatio n served t o sti r u p publi c interes t i n thes e ar t object s tha t ha d cause d th e owne r concern abou t "keep[ing ] th e galleries free o f political or racial manifestations." 1 One hundre d eighty-thre e patron s allowe d thei r name s t o b e liste d i n th e exhibition's catalo g a s evidenc e o f tangibl e support . Thi s displa y o f visua l ar t was assemble d specificall y t o dra w attentio n t o th e nee d fo r a nationwid e antilynching la w unde r th e sponsorshi p o f th e Nationa l Associatio n fo r th e Advancement o f Colored Peopl e and th e College Art Association.2 Although effort s wer e made to intellectualize the cause and effects o f lynchin g in orde r t o inspir e suppor t fo r An Art Commentary, African-America n fear s o f white retributio n an d th e whit e "tendenc y t o translat e [white ] barbarism s an d deceptions int o virtues" came through lou d and clea r in the art.3 The 1930 s had witnessed a n increas e i n incidents o f mob violence against African American s i n the Sout h afte r a significan t decreas e sinc e th e tur n o f th e century . Increase d visibility o f black s i n th e workplac...

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