Large Woven Egg Basket, 1961 or 1991

Photos © 2022 Tina Freeman

scholars in African Art. Fagaly was known for following artists’ careers over decades and developing close friendships with the artists he admired. He was an advocate for Louisiana artists, Black artists, and artists who were self-taught or had never received any formal training. Fagaly did not hesitate to look in unexpected places for talent, including in folkways and vernacular culture, and amongst artists who were at the time young or untested in their careers. Because of these deep connections, many of the artworks in his collection came directly from artists’ studios either as purchases or gifts. Many of these artists’ works also entered into the collection of the New Orleans Museum of Art due to Fagaly’s advocacy efforts. Some of the artists in his collection are well established (George Dureau, Peter Halley, and Jim Richard to name a few), whereas others were acquired purely based on their aesthetic charm and intrigue, and their ability to convey a compelling story. Fagaly’s African baskets, cloths, and masks, as well as his other ethnographic materials, reflect the eye of a widely admired curator steeped in his field, who was perpetually on the lookout for something original and transcendent. Together these objects made his home one of the most enchanting and evocative places in New Orleans.”

Leslie Umberger is the curator of folk and self-taught art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. About Bill, Leslie notes: “Bill Fagaly was an especially astute viewer. A sensitive understanding of people, and the meanings invested in the things they made, were central to his nature. Bill’s deep connection with the arts of Africa and its diaspora—especially in the American South—was driven by an understanding that each artwork was an extension of the person who made it, a vessel for carrying, and caring for, the beliefs of that person. In both the exhibitions Bill curated, and within the items he surrounded himself with at home, there is a vestigial presence of a life, as well as the cultural richness that surrounded and shaped that life.”

It is my honor to welcome you on behalf of the Prospect New Orleans Board of Trustees to participate in this special sale. Bid often and bid high!

Christopher J. Alfieri President & Board Chairman Prospect New Orleans

Use your cell phone camera on the QR Code to find more information about the William A. Fagaly Memorial Fund for Social Impact and giving opportunities ➠

www.prospectneworleans.org