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Nicola Vassell

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Nicola Vassell (born 1979) is a Jamaica-born American art dealer, curator, and gallery owner. She is recognized as the first black woman to open an art gallery in the Chelsea Arts District of New York City.

Early life and education

Vassell was born and raised in Jamaica. She moved to New York City in 1996 to work as a model. She studied business and art history at New York University beginning in 2002.

Career

In 2005, Vassell began working as an intern at the Deitch Projects gallery after meeting Jeffery Deitch at the 2004 Armory Show. She became a director at Deitch in 2007, where she developed a close relationship with Kehinde Wiley and worked until its closure in 2010. Vassell then served as a director at Pace Gallery between 2010 and 2012.

In 2014, Vassell started her own contemporary art advisory and curatorial business, Concept NV. Through her firm, she curated a group exhibition, "Black Eye," which featured the work of contemporary black artists, including Derrick Adams, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Simone Leigh, Kerry James Marshall, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Sanford Biggers. She also curated the artwork that appeared in Empire's second season. Vassell co-curated "Edge of Chaos," an exhibition about feminism and ecology, at the Venice Biennale in 2015. The same year, she co-produced the No Commission Art Fair with Swizz Beatz as well as was appointed the curatorial director of the Dean Collection, a contemporary art collection founded by Beatz and Alicia Keys.

In May 2021, Vassell opened her eponymous gallery on Tenth Avenue in Chelsea. The gallery's inaugural show featured the work of Ming Smith. In November 2023, Vassell announced a partnership with Hauser & Wirth for co-representation of artist Uman and the production of a jointly organized exhibition of her work at Hauser & Wirth London in January 2024.

References

  1. Neyfakh, Leon (2010-06-02). "Art Dealers Re-up". Observer. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  2. "For Nicola Vassell, Art Market Success Is Rooted in Character". Observer. 2024-10-24. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  3. Mechling, Lauren; Silverstone, Tom; Gilliam, Brendan; Herring, Sophia (2023-04-05). "'Every day a revolution': the first Black woman to open a Chelsea gallery shakes up the art world". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  4. ^ Packard, Cassie (2022-11-25). "Gallerist Nicola Vassell considers the Caribbean context". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  5. ^ Freeman, Nate (2020-10-23). "Wet Paint: Swizz Beatz's Longtime Curator Is Opening a Gallery, Damien Hirst's Shirt May Flip for a Fortune, & More Art-World Gossip". Artnet News. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  6. ^ Lee, Felicia R. (2009-02-02). "A Shaper of Talent for a Changing Art World". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-08-09. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  7. Anderson, Krysta (2021-05-30). "Her Way of Art: Former Jamaican model Nicola Vassell opens gallery in New York". The Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  8. ^ Pogrebin, Robin (2021-05-18). "A Rare Black-Owned Art Gallery Lands in Chelsea". The New York Times.
  9. Chan, Dawn (2014-05-01). "A Group Show in TriBeCa Explores Black Identity Today". T Magazine. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  10. Scruggs, Danielle (2019-02-14). "Meet the Curator Working With Swizz Beatz to Showcase the 'Black Renaissance' Happening in Art". Observer. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  11. Boyd-Griffith, Shelton (2021-05-20). "Art Curator Nicola Vassell Debuts Her New Gallery In New York City". Grazia USA. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  12. "'Unity is survival': former Pace director Nicola Vassell to open a gallery in New York". The Art Newspaper - International art news and events. 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
  13. "Welcoming Uman to Hauser & Wirth in Partnership with Nicola Vassell Gallery". Hauser & Wirth. Retrieved 2025-01-02.
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