Beyond Boundaries: Black Abstraction in the Elliot and Kimberly Perry Art Collection

Curated by Dr. Anita N. Bateman

Beyond Boundaries foregrounds the centrality of Black abstraction within the Elliot and Kimberly Perry Art Collection. Over nearly three decades, the Perrys’ collecting vision has evolved from an early emphasis on figuration to a sustained engagement with contemporary abstraction—reflecting a deeper recognition of abstraction as a critical language through which Black artists have articulated presence beyond representation.

Emerging in parallel with, and often in opposition to, dominant art-historical narratives, Black abstraction has long served as a site of intellectual and formal experimentation. From mid-twentieth-century pioneers to a dynamic cohort of contemporary practitioners, the works assembled here trace a continuum in which material, color, and media become vehicles for encoding histories that exceed the limits of figuration.

Through richly tactile surfaces, layered pigments, and expansive compositional strategies, the artists in Beyond Boundaries mobilize abstraction as a mode of storytelling—one that resists fixed interpretation while remaining deeply rooted in cultural knowledge. In doing so, they challenge longstanding assumptions that abstraction is detached from lived experience, instead asserting it as a space for Black subjectivity.

By centering these practices, Beyond Boundaries contributes to an ongoing reexamination of art history, one that acknowledges the foundational role of Black artists in shaping non-representational art as a site of exploration.

Exhibition support for Beyond Boundaries is provided by Brittani Waller, Collections + Exhibitions Manager; Cassidy Childs; Ingrid Travis James, Director of Marketing; Tara Phillips, Graphic Designer; and Matthew Long, Digital Streaming and Video Engineer.

Trevor Anderson-Evans (b. 1995)
Radcliffe Bailey (b. 1968 – d. 2023)
Kevin Beasley (b. 1985)
McArthur Binion (b. 1946)
Frank Bowling (b. 1934)
Kiah Celeste (b. 1994)
Ed Clark (b. 1926 – d. 2019)
Bethany Collins (b. 1984)
Beauford Delaney (b. 1901 – d. 1979)
Abigail DeVille (b. 1981)
Torkwase Dyson (b. 1973)
Jadé Fadojutimi (b. 1993)
Theaster Gates (b. 1973)
Savannah Harris (b. 1999)
Leslie Hewitt (b. 1977)
Daniel LaRue Johnson (b. 1938 – d. 2017)
Rashid Johnson (b. 1977)
Jennie C. Jones (b. 1968)
Samuel Levi Jones (b. 1978)
Nnena Kalu (b. 1966)
Hilda Kortei (b. 1994)
Desmond Lewis (b. 1993)
Norman Lewis (b. 1909 – d. 1979)
Glenn Ligon (b. 1960)
Rick Lowe (b. 1961)
Eric N. Mack (b. 1987)
Richard Mayhew (b. 1924 – d. 2024)
Gabriel Mills (b. 1992)
Nandipha Mntambo (b. 1982)
Odili Donald Odita (b. 1966)
Gozié Ojini (b. 1995)
Jay Payton (b. 1992)
Coumba Samba (b. 2000)
Vaughn Spann (b. 1992)
Reginald Sylvester II (b. 1987)
Felandus Thames (b. 1974)
Alma Thomas (b. 1891 – d. 1978)
Donel Williams (b. 1986)
Stephanie J. Woods (b. 1990)

Elliot and Kimberly Perry are dedicated collectors whose holdings rank among the most significant collections of contemporary art by African American and African diasporic artists in the United States. For three decades, they have built a collection that reflects both discernment and commitment, while actively supporting artists and arts organizations that contribute to a more vibrant and inclusive cultural landscape in Memphis. Their collection has been widely recognized in publications and exhibitions, including presentations at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and the Flint Institute of Arts in 2014. In 2022, Elliot Perry was honored by the Museum of Modern Art and its Black Arts Council.

A Memphis native, Elliot Perry graduated from Treadwell High School in 1987 and the University of Memphis in 1991, where he also played collegiate basketball. After earning a degree in marketing, he was selected in the second round of the 1991 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers and went on to play professionally for a decade, including for the Charlotte Hornets during the 1991–1992 season. Following his retirement, he served as a player representative with the National Basketball Players Association in 2004. In 2005, he joined the ownership group of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Perry currently resides in Germantown, Tennessee, with his wife, Kimberly, and their daughter, Morgan. He is actively engaged in philanthropic and civic leadership, including his work with the Poplar Foundation, which supports educational access for underserved communities. He also serves as board chair of the Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation, providing mentorship opportunities for local youth, and holds board positions with the National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis Athletic Ministries, and New Hope Christian Academy.

The Perrys' collecting philosophy is rooted in a larger cultural purpose, positioning their collection as a way to document, sustain, and carry forward African American history and visual culture for future generations.

Dr. Anita N. Bateman is the Vice President of Creative Direction at the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture, where she guides the comprehensive creative vision for the Center's collections, exhibitions, public programs, educational initiatives, and key internal and external partnerships.

Bateman holds a Ph.D. in Art History and Visual Culture and a Master's degree in Art History from Duke University, and a bachelor's degree in Art History from Williams College. She has held curatorial positions at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, the RISD Museum, the Williams College Museum of Art, and the Nasher Museum of Art. Her academic research has been supported by the American Council of Learned Societies, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council.

Bateman was a 2024 Museum Next Generation Laureate (FRAME and Villa Albertine), the Fall 2022 ARCAthens Curatorial Fellow, and a 2022 Graham Foundation grantee for the publication Where is Africa (Center for Art Research and Alliances), co-edited with Emanuel Admassu.