20th century African-American art collector Paul R. Jones dies in Atlanta at age 81

By AP
Thursday, January 28, 2010

African-American art collector dies in Atlanta

ATLANTA — Paul R. Jones, an Alabama native who built one of the largest collections of 20th century African-American art, has died in Atlanta. He was 81.

University of Alabama spokeswoman Angie Estes says Jones died Tuesday after a brief illness.

The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art is at the university. The school received 1,700 paintings and photographs valued at $5 million in 2008.

Jones began collecting art in the 1960s and was soon drawn to African-American pieces after noticing the art was vastly underrepresented in public galleries. He also donated some 900 works to the University of Delaware.

Besides being an art collector, Jones was a civil rights activist.

He was a native of Bessemer, Ala., in the central part of the state. Jones had lived in Atlanta for several decades.

Discussion

person
January 29, 2010: 10:13 pm

R.I.P
Uncle Paul
-great neice

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