Schools
Work by a Major Artist of the Harlem Renaissance Sold by UC Berkeley at a Fraction of its Value
The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens was allowed to pick up its first major work by an African-American artist very cheaply due to a mistake by the University of California, Berkeley.
The New York Times reports that three years ago, the University of California, Berkeley mistakenly sold a piece of art by a famed African-American sculptor for $150, though the "huge redwood" was valued at over a million dollars.
The artist, Sargent Johnson, lived from 1888-1967 and is thought to be one of "the finest sculptors of the Harlem Renaissance." He lived most of his life in the Bay Area.
The redwood sculpture was created to "cover organ pipes at the old California School for the Deaf and Blind in Berkeley." After the school moved in 1980, the property fell into disrepair and the art, which had been attached to a wall, was moved to a basement warehouse for its protection.
In preparation for selling the building in 2009, the university emptied the storage space and moved the art to the university’s surplus store. An art and furniture dealer found it there and paid $164.63 for it "including tax."
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