The LSU Museum of Art recently unveiled African-American Masterworks from the Paul R. Jones Collection at The University of Alabama. The exhibit features 60 pieces by prominent black twentieth-century artists.

All these pieces once belonged to Paul R. Jones, an avid collector of Black American art who cultivated an art collection containing thousands of pieces in his lifetime, many of which were donated to various universities nationwide.

Paul Raymond Jones’ life story is one of resilience. He was born in 1982 in Bessemer, Alabama, in a mining camp but eventually earned a Bachelor’s degree from Howard University in 1949.

His goal was to attend the School of Law at the University of Alabama, but segregation prevented him from achieving it. Jones instead earned a master’s degree in Urban Studies from Governor’s State College in Illinois and worked with the federal government for 15 years.

Motivated by the lack of representation for black artists in the mid-twentieth century, Jones began to collect pieces in the 1960s and continued to add to his collection throughout the decades. He is most known for amassing one of the largest private collections of Black American art in the country, received numerous awards for his contributions to the art world, and passed away in 2010.

One full circle moment, in particular, was Jones receiving an honorary Doctorate of Laws from The University of Alabama, the same university where he was once denied entry.

The Paul R. Jones Museum at The University of Alabama was later created with the intention of keeping Jones’ vision alive and generously lent the LSU Museum of Art some pieces to display at their Shaw Center location. In turn, the LSUMOA “will provide the PRJ Museum with over thirty artworks by Eugene Martin, a black abstractionist best known for his mixed media collages.”

“The LSU Museum of Art is thrilled to be part of a unique collaboration with the Paul R. Jones Museum at The University of Alabama,” stated Michelle Schulte, Chief Curator and Director of Arts for the LSU MOA.

Schulte also revealed that LSU and the University of Alabama will continuously exchange pieces for the next 2 years, with the intention of increasing the visibility of marginalized artists and the diversity of their ever-evolving exhibits.

Walking through this exhibit was an emotional experience, as you find yourself in the center of a dream that eventually came true. Jones’s story and his passion for ensuring that black artists receive their flowers can inspire us all to stand for what we care about, even if we must stand alone at first.

The exhibit is available for viewing at the LSU Museum of Art at the Shaw Center until December 3.