Best selling black artists

THERE'S a quiet revolution unfolding in the world of art. From auction houses to private collections of celebrities to exhibits at world-famous museums, the work of an elite group of African-American visual artists is in increasing demand. Their paintings and sculptures command top prices, bringing in from $30,000 to as much as $500,000. In a society where "starving artists" are the norm and images gain worth after the creator's death, financial success by living Black artists, critics say, is an achievement to applaud.

Thirty years ago, few Black artists enjoyed six-figure commissions or even sustained sales in the tens of thousands. Experts attribute the growing regard for Black art to the influence of an economically strong Black middle class, exposure on Black sitcoms like The Cosby Show and renewed interest among collectors of all races. Despite the success of a handful of Black male and female artists, there's still a long way to go. African-American artists who make enough to live solely from their work are the exception. Most must continue their day jobs--often as university professors.

"It's definitely not a boom," says Dr. Richard Powell, professor and chair of the department of art and art history at Duke University. "A boom means the money is flowing in. I'd call it a surprisingly strong trickle..."

According to an informal survey of art scholars and dealers, museum curators and collectors, the 12 artists listed here in alphabetical order are among the best-selling Black artists today. Other best-selling artists, not pictured, include Martin Puryear, Edward Clark, Robert Colescott and Howardena Pindell. Prices listed are estimates. If you are persistent and lucky, you might find an original piece or a reproduction of your favorite artist at a less-expensive price. In the final analysis, money means little compared to feelings invoked by a painting, a sculpture or the patchwork stories of a quilt. Like most good things, the value of art is measured finally not in dollars, but in its power to move and to minister to the soul.