1:23 p.m., Aug. 31, 2009----Recalling her first visit to art collector Paul R. Jones in his Atlanta home, Margaret Andersen later wrote, “There was art everywhere -- on every conceivable inch of wall space, stacked in the corners, on the floor, in the dresser drawers, stuffing the cabinets (even in the kitchen), piled on tables, on top of and under beds -- everywhere!” And, as she discovered, Jones talked about and knew about every piece.

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Andersen, Edward F. and Elizabeth Goodman Rosenberg Professor of Sociology at the University of Delaware, and Neil Thomas, senior associate director of UD's Office of Communications and Marketing, have written a new book, Living Art, The Life of Paul R. Jones, African American Art Collector, chronicling Jones' multi-faceted life and his journey to becoming an important art collector and a benefactor to the University of Delaware. The book was published by the University of Delaware Press.

A program to celebrate the book will be held at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 15, in Gore Recital Hall of the Roselle Center for the Arts with a welcome by President Patrick Harker, introductions by Provost Tom Apple and readings by Andersen and Thomas. Jones has been invited to attend and speak. To request an invitation, write to Bethany Gibson in the College of Arts and Sciences at [bcgibson@art-sci.udel.edu].

A reception and book signing will follow in the lobby with books available for purchase.

Much of Jones' treasure trove of African American art was given to UD in 2001 and is now housed in Mechanical Hall, which was renovated to serve as a home for the collection.

After announcing the gift, Jones became a familiar face on campus, helping to oversee the installation of his prized art collection. “I want it to be woven into the fabric of an institution where it would will be used for teaching and exhibitions. I want it to make a difference,” he said.

“Living Art includes many of Jones' memories in his own words during five years of extensive interviews during which time we have become friends,” Andersen said. “The book is unique as it is not a biography in the traditional sense but a life history through a sociological lens, within the context of what was happening, particularly racial change, during the decades of Paul's life.”

Andersen added, “The collection is a wonderful asset for the University of Delaware and can be used as a tool by different disciplines including art history, literature, urban affairs, political science and others as a window to African American art, history and culture. In the book, we discuss how UD faculty members have incorporated the Paul Jones Collection into their courses.”

“Jones was a pioneer in collecting African American art and was basically self-taught in learning to appreciate and collect art,” Thomas said. “The variety of art is astonishing, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, water colors and photography.”

“It has been a pleasure to work with Maggie Andersen on Living Art, particularly given that the book concerns one of my favorite people in Paul Jones, whose contributions to African American art as a collector and connoisseur cannot be underestimated,” Thomas added.

Jones' father worked in the mines of Bessemer, Ala. His parents were supportive of his education, even sending him to New York for a few years to live with his older brother so that he could attend better schools. “It was never a question of whether I'd go to college, it was where,” he said. Where turned out to be Alabama State University and then Howard University.

Jones wanted to become a lawyer but was rejected by the University of Alabama because of his race in a letter that he still possesses.

In spite of this, Jones' enterprising spirit took off, and he began a career that included running local businesses to government positions that took him from Alabama to Washington to Thailand and back to the South. At one point, he was a senior staff member in the Nixon administration within the Committee to Re-elect the President, of Watergate fame. His career and contributions to progress in racial equality are described in the chapter, “The Peacemaker: Civil Rights and the Political Years.”

Jones' interest in art began in the mid-1960s when he decided his bare walls needed some art to brighten them up and bought some reproductions of works by Degas, Chagall and Lautrec (he still has them) from a street corner dealer. This marked the beginning of a new interest and avocation as a collector.

As Jones discovered, there was little attention paid to African American art and he found his niche in not only collecting African American artwork but in promoting it. As his reputation grew, artists began to seek him out with their works.

Jones' relationship with UD began when William Homer, H.R. Sharp Professor of Art History Emeritus, was giving a lecture at Emory University and was told about Jones and his collection and visited him in his home. As the book points out, “Homer knew immediately that he had found a treasure -- not only in the art but in the collector.”

That first encounter eventually led to the gift of Jones' priceless collection of African American art to the University of Delaware, which is commemorated in Living Art.

Article by Sue Moncure