Ernie Wolfe III (born July 30, 1950 in Los Angeles, California) is an art curator, gallerist, outdoorsman, field researcher, and author specializing in contemporary and traditional African art.[1] His specialties include Ghanaian film posters,[2] fantasy coffins, pop art, and commercial art,[3] as well as traditional sculpture from across Africa.[4]
Wolfe is also known for his deep connections with many Los Angeles artists including Ed Moses,[5] Billy Al Bengston, Chris Burden, Lita Albuquerque, Peter Alexander, Gwynn Murrill, Tony Berlant, Larry Bell, and Charles Arnoldi,[6] and for juxtaposing their work alongside African art.[7] He also discovered several acclaimed African artists[8] including Joseph Bertiers.[9]
Early life and education
editWolfe was raised in Westwood and on Mulholland Drive as the son of Clare Wolfe and Ernie Wolfe Jr.[10] He graduated from Harvard School for boys in 1968 and from Williams College in 1973 with a degree in Spanish Literature. After his focus shifted to African art in 1975, he studied under Roy Sieber,[11] the first tenured African art professor in the United States[4] Career
Wolfe first became interested in African art while working as a scuba instructor in Kenya in the 1970s for his grandfather and father's business, Wolfe Tours.[1] After fishing on the weekend, he would share the fish that he caught with local tribespeople and began to document and collect the Kenyan arts of utility such as gourds, vessels, neck rests, stools, walking sticks, and clothing that he encountered[4]
Alongside Roy Sieber, Ernie curated the Arts of Kenya exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum in 1979.[12] Two years later he opened a gallery in West Los Angeles called Turkana Primitive and Fine Arts. He expanded to another gallery space, the Ernie Wolfe Gallery in 1989, and to a third gallery, EW3 Gallery, in 2016.[13] Wolfe continues to exhibit, donate, and deal art alongside his wife Diane Wolfe and sons Ernest IV and Russell in Los Angeles.
Selected publications
edit- Wolfe, Ernie (1979). An Introduction to the Arts of Kenya. Washington, D.C: Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 978-0-9603660-0-2.
- Wolfe, Ernie; Parkin, David J.; Sieber, Roy (1986-01-01). Vigango. Williamstown, Mass: Williams College Museum of Art. ISBN 978-0-913697-02-3.
- Bertiers, Joseph (1998). Dateline Kenya. Santa Monica, CA: Smart Art Press. ISBN 978-1-889195-20-9.
- Barker, Clive (2000). Extreme Canvas: Hand-Painted Movie Posters from Ghana. Los Angeles, Calif.: Dilettante Press. ISBN 978-0-9664272-1-9.
References
edit- ^ a b Spindler, Amy M. (January 6, 2002). "STYLE & ENTERTAINING; The Importance Of Being Ernie". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Hinshaw, Will Connors and Drew. "Art Collecting: Ghana Movie Posters Add Thrills". WSJ.
- ^ Cascone, Sarah (January 30, 2015). "How to Find Fresh Outsider Art? Dealers Talk". Artnet News.
- ^ a b c Cole, Herbert M.; Wolfe, Ernie (January 10, 1987). "Review of Vigango: Commemorative Sculpture of the Mijikenda of Kenya, Ernie Wolfe III". African Arts. 20 (2): 74–75. doi:10.2307/3336612. JSTOR 3336612 – via JSTOR.
- ^ "Turkey Was Good, But Art Was Even Better | Art Talk". KCRW. December 2, 2014.
- ^ Pagel, David (August 16, 2013). "Review: 'Local Fish' at Ernie Wolfe casts a wide, fun net". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "Celebrating the Afterlife With Ed Moses Amid Ghanaian Fantasy Coffins :: AEQAI".
- ^ "Los Angeles Art Adventures to Put You in a Festive Mood". HuffPost. December 6, 2012.
- ^ "Dateline Kenya: The Media Paintings of Joseph Bertiers by Bertiers, Joseph;Patchett, Tom;III Wolfe, Ernie: Near Fine Trade Paperback (1998) | Pistil Books Online, IOBA". www.abebooks.com.
- ^ Shadbolt, Peter (February 28, 2014). "Hollywood reimagined: Ghana's weird and wonderful movie posters". CNN.
- ^ "Roy Sieber: IU Alliance: Indiana University". IU Alliance of Distinguished and Titled Professors.
- ^ Wolfe, Ernie (1979). An Introduction to the Arts of Kenya. Washington, D.C: Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 978-0-9603660-0-2.
- ^ "Ernie Wolfe Gallery | African Art Gallery in Los Angeles Contemporary LA Art Museum". Ernie Wolfe Gallery.