Event: “Kehinde Wiley” Donor Opening Night 2023
Date: March 16, 2023
Location: de Young Museum, San Francisco
Photos (90): David Zahrobsky for Drew Altizer Photography

Contemporary Support Council members, exhibition sponsors, Sponsor level members and above, and other special guests were invited to the opening reception for Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence at the de Young Museum on March 16th, 2023.

The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (the “Museums”) are honored to host the US premiere of Kehinde Wiley: An Archaeology of Silence, a new, monumental body of work created against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, and the worldwide rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Expanding upon American artist Kehinde Wiley’s Down series from 2008, An Archaeology of Silence meditates on the deaths of young Black people slain all over the world. These 26 works stand as elegies and monuments, underscoring the fraught terms in which Black people are rendered visible, especially when at the hands of systemic violence. 

Also taking place in support of the exhibition was a series of events conceived and produced by Lisa Blackwell of Blackwell and Co. In addition to their real estate business, Blackwell and Co. curates art events focused on enriching the Black art ecosystem. Blackwell, a sponsor of the opening night event, organized ten related events throughout the Bay Area, bringing together over 500 of the industry’s largest art interests, both private and professional. Blackwell has now added a leadership position in BLKxSF to her portfolio. BLKxSF is a recently formed and San Francisco-based collective of Black event producers, art lovers, philanthropists and influencers that have come together to create moments where people can connect, network and thrive.

Related…
• Kehinde Wiley’s Reclamation of Black Lives – de Young Museum
• An Inside Look At Kehinde Wiley’s New De Young Exhibition And Opening Reception – San Francisco Magazine
• Kehinde Wiley excavates racial violence in ‘An Archaeology of Silence’ at the de Young – 7×7
• Tour Artist Kehinde Wiley’s Quiet Creative Haven in Lagos, Nigeria – Architectural Digest