In February, Walter and Cathy Shannon launched Black Crown Art Auctions, the only active Black-owned and Black-operated fine art auction house in the United States. They created the platform to ensure equity, visibility, and legacy for African American artists, gallerists, and collectors.
The Shannons, who launched Black Crown Art Auctions at the 18th Annual Harlem Fine Art Show, are no strangers to the art world. The couple own E&S Gallery, a gallery based in Louisville in operation since 1989. Through the gallery, the Shannons represent Kevin West, whose work has been show at Newfields Art Museum in Indianapolis and the Cincinnati Art Museum, fiber artist Sherry Shine, and collage artist Yolanda Ward. E&S began in a 2,500-square-foot strip-mall location; today, it occupies an 11,000-plus-square-foot building the Shannons own in downtown Louisville.
ARTnews spoke with the Shannons about their plans for Black Crown, and why they view collecting as an act of preservation, empowerment, and sovereignty.
What inspired the creation of Black Crown Art Auctions?
Walter Shannon: I have been around art and the auction process forever. I am a formally trained auctioneer. This is something I’ve wanted to do for many, many years. We finally pulled the trigger.
Cathy Shannon: The time for this was overdue; it was culturally necessary. The platforms that determine artistic value, visibility, and legacy have not been ours. Others have profited from our culture while excluding us from ownership, authorship, and authority. We started Black Crown to change that.
What is Black Crown’s mission?
Cathy Shannon: We are a steward of the culture. Our tagline is, “Collect the culture. Own the legacy.” This is our mission, our movement, our crown. We stand for equity.
When can people expect the first auction, and what will the process be like?
Walter Shannon: The first auction will be in August in Martha’s Vineyard, featuring work we have or have access to, including a lot of Harlem Renaissance artists. Auctions will be online as well as in the gallery. We also want to hold auctions in a couple of other cities.
What have been some early challenges in making Black Crown happen?
Walter Shannon: One of the biggest challenges was having the time to devote to this. We are extremely busy with the gallery. My sister said I need to sit my butt down, but we are doing this because it is totally necessary. We are fortunate in that if we wanted to put 70 to 90 items up for auction, it’s doable because our inventory is that deep. I’ve been in the business since the ’70s. I remember when I did a catalog with 50 pieces, whereas now I could easily have 50 pieces from one artist. We have the experience, funds, and access to major artists to make this work.
How will you build relationships with artists and collectors?
Walter Shannon: We have longevity on our side. We have been the go-to for African American art for years. We have relationships with many contemporary artists, and we look at several artists’ portfolios every week. We can’t be everything to everybody, and we are particular about the artists we work with.
Cathy Shannon: We have strong relationships because we pay our artists when we sell their work—not every gallery does that. We also get out there, traveling to conferences attended by professionals such as doctors, attorneys, and C-suite executives to raise our visibility. Walter has conducted auctions on Tom Joyner cruises and at fundraisers for organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha and the Links.
What are some short- and long-term goals?
Walter Shannon: In the short term, we want to get our first auction under our belt. Over the next few years, we want to see Black Crown grow like E&S. We want to have a consistent auction schedule, and we hope there are more Black-owned auction houses. It’s not competitive—the more the merrier. The blessings that are yours are yours. After all, there’s Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and many other auction houses. I think we are setting the pace. We are trying to be the headliners, but we should not be the only Black-owned fine art auction house.
How do you plan to distinguish yourselves from other auction houses?
Cathy Shannon: A big part of our offering is education. We want you to know what you’re buying. We say, buy what you like, but know what you’re buying. Some dealers will let a purchaser think they are getting an original when they are not. You need to do your research on an artist, find out the value of their work, and get an idea of what it is selling for. You need to be knowledgeable. There have been auction sites that presented work they said was by a certain artist when it was not. We want to police some of what is available on auction sites.
We are also different in that we are about equity. We hear from clients that auction houses and museums are not always equitable in their treatment. A lot of talent is locked out. We want our artists to get what they need and to be valued. This business is personal for us. We have collected a lot of art ourselves. We are connected to our product.
At this point, what tops the to-do list?
Walter Shannon: Now that we’ve launched, we need to continue raising awareness about who we are. We have to keep moving forward and put together a team. We want everything in place so we can continue the excellence we’re known for.
