Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art

Bringing focus to African-American art and its essential place in the history of American art.

Collection Updates

In Memory of Winfred Rembert

We recently received the sad news of Winfred Rembert’s passing. While we did not have the pleasure of meeting him in person, his masterful artworks and life-long commitment to depicting his experiences in the Jim Crow South made a significant impact on us.  Winfred Rembert’s life was extraordinarily tough. He spent the ‘40s and ‘50s […]

The Meticulous Improvisational Art of Carl Richard “Dingbat” Smith

In spite of a global pandemic, we have been fortunate to be able to continue to grow our collection this past year. We feel particularly lucky two have acquired two pieces from the magnificent artist, Carl Richard “Dingbat” Smith, whose work was introduced to us by our friend, consultant, and fellow collector, Lewis Tanner Moore. […]

The Fluid Imagination of Alvin Booth

Although he has been a vehicle and an avatar for creative expression for most of his life, Alvin only recently began considering himself an “Artist.” Each one of his dynamic compositions speak through themes of personal introspection, and weave in the lyrical or geometric notations of music as well as patterned and figurative shapes.

The African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey Honors Jim Petrucci

The AACCNJ recently honored Jim Petrucci at its Corporate Awards Dinner hosted on October 17, 2019 at the Crowne Plaza Princeton. The partnership between the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (AACCNJ), Petrucci Family Foundation (PFF), and the School Board of Irvington New Jersey began in 2017 with the launch of the I AM Leadership Program…

For Immediate Release – Afrocosmologies: American Reflections at the Wadsworth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Kim Hugo, (860) 838-4082 Kim.Hugo@wadsworthatheneum.org Image files to accompany publicity of this exhibition are available for download at http://press.thewadsworth.org. Email to request login credentials. Afrocosmologies: American Reflections at the Wadsworth October 19, 2019–January 20, 2020 Hartford, Conn. (Sept. 23, 2019)—Afrocosmologies: American Reflections presents a window into a dynamic cosmos of influences […]

PFF Commission Portrait by Mario Moore

PFF commissioned acclaimed portrait artist Mario Moore to paint a legendary member of the Princeton Football Family – Henry “Hank” Towns. Jim Petrucci’s relationship with Hank goes back to 1982 as a freshman football player at Princeton and Hank has been an important presence in his life ever since.

Charles Edward Williams and PFF at Irvington High School

This spring, Charles E. Williams came to our area for a visit. During his stay, PFF arranged for him to give an artist’s talk to student-athletes at Irvington High School in NJ. He shared with them some of his experiences as an athlete and artist.

PFF Meets Stephen Hayes the Creator

Last year, PFF had the opportunity to visit the studio of Stephen Hayes the Creator. He gave us an intimate look into his studio and shared with us his origin story. It is no doubt that this man will be as legendary as he dreams.

PFF Introduces: Charles Edward Williams

Charles Edward Williams is a gifted figure painter with a remarkable personal history that informs his work and social outlook. As part of PFF’s mission in 2017-18 to augment our collection with younger African American voices, we traveled down to North Carolina to meet with Charles in his studio and add his work to our […]