THOMAS HEATH
RAFAEL GALLERY
: 211 E 59th Street, New York City April 3 - May 31, 2024
OPPOSITE:
The Green Ruff
Acrylic on paper
26 x 20 inches
Drip
Acrylic on canvas
48 x 46 inches
COVER
Exhibit Curator
WADE BONDS
Heath’s work is both urgent and intense. It pays homage to the profound rhythms of Black America, weaving a tale of joy, pain, striving and yearning, exemplifying the strength and resilience of the community. This exhibit embraces the past with an eye toward the future.
THOMAS HEATH
UPTOWN FLOW
About the Artist
African-American culture is rich in color, texture, history and value. I use my paintbrush to represent and document all that I can recall. It’s my way to resist black lives being forgotten, rewritten or marginalized.
Thomas Edwin Heath
Early Years.
Beginnings.
Born in Newport News, Virginia, Heath attended John Marshall Elementary School and Huntington High. At 17 years old, he moved to New York City. It was there, at more than 40 years of age, that he met artist Mark Morse who would become his mentor. It didn’t take long for Morse’s tutelage to spark an almost compulsive pursuit.
“Over night I became an artist,” Heath writes. “Something, somewhere, deep down inside that I knew I was all the time. I painted with a fury not only on canvas but on anything and everything I could get my hands on: doors, ironing boards, chest of drawers, refrigerators, vanities, chairs, picture frames, mirrors, musical instruments, aprons, coats, hats, shirts and tuxedo jackets. It was all a blank canvas awaiting my hand. Including our black pleather sofa. That was a temptation I could not resist.”
Heath eventualy settled in a landmark townhouse in Central Harlem’s historic Mount Morris Park district, (pictured opposite) where he has created a space for underrepresented artists and has been exhibiting his own work since 2002.
Heath paints with historical memory guided by souls in the distant past reminiscent of the ancestor guidance practiced in many African societies. Through thick heavy paint and vibrant colors, his effortless strokes create a figurative abstraction that bursts into a symphony of texture, color and rhythm.
Heath’s work is both urgent and intense, imbued with unparallelled expressive energy. It pays homage to the profound rhythms of Black America, weaving a tale of joy, pain, striving and yearning, exemplifying the strength and resilience of the community.
Recent Projects.
In 2021 Heath’s collaboration with the architectural firm, Brandt-Haferd resulted in a NYCxDESIGN design award for Outdoor Dining presented by Interior Design Magazine. In 2020, Heath was one of eight artists commissioned to Harlem’s Black Lives Matter mural. The mural is featured in a documentary short, American Street Mural in Harlem, and was licensed by the Public Theater for their 2021 Shakespeare in the Park production, Merry Wives. TV credits include Bravo’s, The Last OG with Tracy Morgan. Heath’s work is in the permanent collection of the Downing Gross Cultural Center in Newport News VA and published in African American Art, The Long Struggle by Crystal Britton.
“Aleia”, a new (2024) public art installation, prominently features five works from Heath’s skateboard series. Located at the center of Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem, “Aleia” is a collaboration with the award-winning Jerome Haferd Studio architecture practice and Harlem Grown’s Culture, Care and Creativity initiative funded by the Mellon Foundation. “Aleia” is situated in Marcus Garvey Park’s Acropolis off Fifth Ave.
“My earliest art memories are of sibling coloring contests supplied by cast-off coloring books and crayons from my grandmother’s job as a janitor at a whites only elementary school. Cast off National Geographic magazines, encyclopedias and other text books filled my grandmother, Beulah Fox’s, home. My vibrant colors, upcycled materials and connection to African-American culture is directly influenced by those early years.”
Acrylic on canvas
x
Thomas Heath credits his grandmother, Beulah Fox, for introducing him to art, and pays great homage to her influence in his later career. Beulah Fox was the only African-American employee at the all-white Walter Reed school in Heath’s home town. Heath and his siblings, Linda Craig and Audrey Bolden, often helped Fox clean the very school that they would not be allowed to attend.
Fifty years after the passing of their grandmother, Heath returned to the building that once housed the school to exhibit his work and tell his grandmother’s story. A story of a woman who “laughed when she talked, was extremely empathetic, religious [member of Zion Baptist Church under Reverend Day], and family-oriented.” Her grandson would display his art in the very building that once shunned him from attending.
Acrylic on canvas 40 x 40 inches
EARTH AND GOLD
Acrylic on canvas 36 x48 inches
WHITE MONKEY
Acrylic on wood 48 x 48 inches
THE BISHOP’S SON
Acrylic on panel, 17 x 47 inches, 2003
We come across what seems to be an African personage of authority. The figure, darkly painted and lacking features, wears a crown and carries a scepter. The crown, in the African manner, is decorated with two small figures. The person, likely prominent in a social sense, is bare-chested but wears a skirt-like wrap from waist to lower legs. This last work may be attempting to join black American life to its origins in Africa. And the other portraits can be seen as statements of cultural pride. There is also the larger picture: while Heath identifies strengths among his people, he also celebrates life itself.
MANHOOD
on wood 24 x 48 inches
Early 2000’s
In Manhood (early 2000s), Heath has a remarkable portrait of a naked black male. His head holds eyes that stare back at the viewer with unblinking intensity. His body is covered with skeins of white paint. His phallus is prominent, as are his feet. The background is light, with light gray spots mottling the plane. The man holds a long stick with a round crown–it could be a scepter or a weapon, but it is hard to say. The dramatic forthrightness of the painting demonstrates bravery, not bravado, and emotional directness, not disingenuous feeling. Its simplicity makes it powerful.
Acrylic
“I work intuitively. The shapes and images that are revealed to me as I work fascinate me. What most often appears are the shapes and images that seem to express experiences of people of the African Diaspora. I feel “chosen” to relay their messages and see the work as highly spiritual. I believe the shapes, textures and color in my work are given to me directly from my ancestors. I am humbled that they would choose me.”
Thomas Edwin Heath
Acrylic on canvas 24 x 24 inches
ROOFTOP DAY
Acrylic on wood, 11 x 48 inches, 2018
“Before art on canvas there was Thomas Heath’s art of fashion: coats, jackets, aprons, vests and, oh, the hats. Hats he rocked and/or hats he designed. You can see the fashion influence in his art.
Heath Gallery
UNTITLED
2024
“While all of Heath’s figures in this exhibition are distinctly African-American, the artist very consciously uses his fluid and drip-heavy technique to create a vibrant multiplicity in each body.”
Acrylic on canvas
24 x 24 inches
Tussle Magazine Review
ON MY WAY
Acrylic on canvas 24 x 24 inches
Arylic on wood
48 x 48 inches
THE RED GIRAFFE
BLUE SNEAKER
Acrylic on Wood, 20 x 34 inches, cca. 2016
Pandemic
Acryic on wood, 24 x 40 inches
African Fanny
Acrylic on paper
28 x 22 inches
2023
“Even governmental and military structures are intimated. These historical connections helped Heath describe abstract notions of African traditions and leadership that resonate even today.”
Acrylic on canvas, 25 x 31 inches, 2014
— Jonathan Goodman
FIRST VILLAGE
“Fact: you’ll rarely see Heath in public without a hat. Same for the people in his paintings [...] You can see the fashion influence in his art.”
Acrylic on canvas 40 x 54 inches
RED CROWN
Heath Gallery
EVEN IN AFRICA
“I paint ancestors who stayed behind, those lost in the passage, those who survived and possible futures. My paintings are our story. I hope my art will connect you to collective memory, purpose and joy.”
— Thomas Edwin Heath
Acrylic on canvas 24 x 24 inches 2024
SNEAKER DEVIL
The vividness and force of Heath’s art put forth a repositioning of black culture, in which victims are better understood as active partici[ants in a rich heritage. There is also Africa itself, the continent of black American origins; African rituals and ceremonies, along with African clothing and symbols, often support the painter’s themes.
Indeed, the ceremonies associated with African monarchies celebrare diverse values that mean much to Heath. Clothing associated with power find expression, as well as in Heath’s portrayal of robes and jewelry. This enabled him to suggest lineage, wisdom, and connections to ancestral spirits.
Acrylic on wood
x 24 inches
The UB Rolling Series celebrates the resilience and dedication of essential workers, mainly black and brown individuals who selflessly continued to keep society functioning during the Covid Pandemic. These individuals worked tirelessly, putting their own well-being at risk,to ensure that essential services and businesses remained open. Their unwavering commitment and perseverance in the face of adversity are truly commendable. This series aims to shine a spotlight on their invaluable contributions to our communities.
GOLD HEADBAND
Acrylic
UB Rolling SERIES
Acrylic on paper
30 x 22.5 inches 2023
PURPLE SHIRT
Untitled UB Rolling Series
Artist Proof Print
Untitled UB Rolling Series
Artist Proof Print
48 x 36 inches
Orange Cap UB Rolling Series
Acrylic on paper
30 x 22.5 inches, 2023
Yellow Turban UB Rolling Series
Acrylic on paper
27 x 19 inches, 2023
Untitled UB Rolling Series
Artist Proof Print
48 x 36 inches
Untitled UB Rolling Series
Artist Proof Print, 48 x 36 inches
“UB Rolling” (2021) depicts a girl on a skateboard, with a backpack and a pile of books balanced on her head. While the background behind her is a solid pure blue, she herself is alive with drips pf paint of all colors. We discern her clothes and features, but they are all uniformly contaminated by traces of paint of all colors. While all of Heath’s figures in this exhibition are distinctly African-American, the artist very consciously uses his fluid and drip-heavy technique to create a vibrant multiplicity in each body.”
Tussle Magazine Review
Small Works
The exhibition includes a series of seven canvases, 6 x 6 inches in dimensions, executed in acrylics with a great attention to detail and a sense of intimate portrayal of his subjects. These canvases encapsulate the textures, characters and colors of Heath’s iconic style.
In Disputes (2024), Heath does an excellent job observing a group of people, painted so abstractly as to defy representation, although a man wearing a cap on the left is recognizable. Next to that person are strong verticals representing people, painted in red and black, while to the right, the figures are brown. Behind the group is a yellow background, nearly a halo around the figures. And above is a blue-black sky; it must be night. The work is so freely painted it borders on abstraction.
DISPUTES
Acrylic on canvas 24 x 24 inches
Rafael Gallery
212 - 755 - 4888
Rafaelcontemporary.com
211 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022 1020 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10075
Founded in 1948, Rafael Gallery has been passed down from father to son for three generations. For decades the gallery occupied an iconic building on Madison Avenue, in the heart of New York City’s Museum Mile.
Currently under the leadership of Mr. Benjamin Aryeh and Brandon Aryeh, the gallery has added a new location on 59th Street, across from the historic D&D buiding to better serve our Interior Design clientele. Our clients include major public, private and corporate collectors as well as the design community in New York City and internationally.
Wade Bonds
Curator
Wade Bonds is the Director at Rafael Gallery, NYC and an independent curator. Recent exhibitions include:
A Whisper Out Of Range: Sienna Reid and Franck Hodelin / October 2023 ChaShaMa, NYC.
Styx And Stones: William Norton / March 2023 - The Boiler, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Home: Lisa Cain / April 2023 - Heath Gallery, Harlem, NY
A Visionary Journey: Thomas Heath / Kente Royal Gallery, Harlem, NY/ September, 2023
Fusion: The Openness Of Abstraction In Thought And Practice: Thomas Heath, Pat Houbaugh, Edward Holland and Sasha Meret - November 2022, Gallery LTD. Williamsburg, Brooklyn
The Frank Wimberley Collection / Winter 2017 - 18, Rafael Gallery
Wade Bonds pictured with Thomas Edwin Heath at the opening of “Uptown Flow”
Thomas Heath’s work captures the essence of the human experience, reflecting the complexities and beauty of life. Each piece tells a story, drawing the viewer in with its raw emotion and depth. The layers of history and culture woven into his art create a powerful narrative that resonates with all who encounter it. His ability to blend tradition with innovation is a testament to his skill and vision. The energy and passion that radiate from his work are palpable, evoking a sense of connection and understanding.
Thomas Heath’s art is a reflection of the world around us, a mirror that invites us to see ourselves in a new light. In a world filled with noise and chaos, Thomas Heath’s work stands as a beacon of truth and authenticity. It is a reminder of the power of art to transcend boundaries and speak to the soul. With each brushstroke, he invites us to join him on a journey of self-discovery and enlightenment.
Acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 inches
URBAN STREET SCENE
Wade Bonds, exhibit curator