Just before exiting, one arrives at the London-based Everything Gallery, which has gained a reputation across major international fairs for discovering and repositioning visionary figures – from Madge Gill at Frieze Masters to the Afro-Caribbean surrealist painter Hector Hippolyte at Art Basel Paris. In the Outsider Art Gallery, the exhibition presents an entire pavilion dedicated to Sam Doyle (1906-1985), inspired by the Bob Roth Collection. Born in the Gullah community on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, Doyle was a self-taught artist who transformed his front yard into the St. Helena Outdoor Art Gallery, covering it with bold, graphic paintings on corrugated tin, scrap metal, and found wood. A natural storyteller, he captured the lives of friends, neighbors, local heroes, and healers through vivid images often coupled with sharp and witty commentary, while also reflecting the broader history of black liberation and cultural life. His works gained national attention after inclusion in the landmark exhibition Black Folk Art in America: 1930-1980 (1982), and later entered the orbit of Jean-Michel Basquiat, who collected Doyle’s works and exhibited them in his studio. Today, Doyle is recognized as a central figure in twentieth-century African American art, with his works in major institutional collections including the Smithsonian, LACMA, and the High Museum.
The presentation, consisting of museum-level works offered for sale for the first time, attracted strong institutional interest, with prices ranging from $55,000 to $95,000. Founder Jack Barrett told the Observer: “Sales exceeded expectations, with major early works placed under fair and sustained interest from major contemporary collectors and institutions,” underscoring growing market confidence and renewed recognition of Doyle’s importance. “Out of sight for so long, Jean-Michel Basquiat was so beloved for a reason: his representation of local and national heroes, combined with his distinct and witty textual commentary, captures the essence of the black community as it emerged into more public consciousness. We are proud to represent the work and tell its story.” Suddenly, we can see where Basquiat got his inspiration.
Particularly noteworthy is the acquisition of two works of great narrative and historical depth: Sibiuwhich depicts a former enslaved man who commandeers a boat to secure his freedom before becoming a local senator, and Wadaa rare double-sided work featuring a local notable on one side and legendary boxer Joe Louis – the “Brown Bomber” – on the other.
