On View Magazine 07-09.2015 | Page 105

C Painted BLACK COMPRISED ENTIRELY OF PAINTINGS depicting African Americans from the preCivil War era through the Civil Rights era, the Museum of Art–DeLand presents the exhibition Painted Black, showcasing the collection of John H. Surovek, a former director of the Daytona Beach Museum of Arts and Sciences, and current art dealer and proprietor of the John H. Surovek Gallery in Palm Beach, Florida. Assembled over more than 35 years, this collection includes works by well-known, mostly white American artists such as Thomas Hart Benton, and Andrew Wyeth in addition to works by several African-American artists. The paintings in the exhibition— predominantly genre scenes, street scenes, and portraits—deal with issues of race and human dignity, capturing ordinary and often poignant moments pertinent to the Black experience in America. OnV i e w Ma g a z i n e . c om Thomas Hart Benton, South East Cotton Warehouse, 1934; Oil on canvas, 12-1/4 x 9”. • J u ly /S e p t e m b e r 2015 10 5