One hundred years of black film art is officially up for grabs.
The San Francisco Art Exchange announced Thursday the first public sale of pieces from the Separate Cinema Archive. With 35,000 items curated over the course of three decades ― including rare vintage posters, lobby cards and photographs from 30 countries ― the comprehensive archive has been committed to celebrating 100 years of African American cinema.
“History relies on evidence, and the Separate Cinema Archive provides that,” SFAE co-founder and director Theron Kabrich said in a statement to HuffPost. “This collection pays respect to the contributions of the filmmakers and artists who literally changed history through their work.”
Some of the notable titles and black film icons featured in the collection include “Siren of the Tropics” (which starred Josephine Baker), “In the Heat of the Night” (starring Sidney Poitier) and “12 Years a Slave.”
Prior to SFAE’s announcement, parts of the Separate Cinema Archive have been featured in traveling exhibits at film festivals and art institutions, as well as a 2014 book published by the founder of the archive, renowned photographer and author John Kisch.
