This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.

In the Library: The Evans-Tibbs Archive of African American Art showcases the life and work of Thurlow Evans Tibbs, Jr., an accomplished art appraiser, broker, collector, and dealer, as well as the founder and director of his eponymous art gallery in Washington, DC. Tibbs is best known for his donation to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, now an important part of the National Gallery’s holdings by African American artists.

A third-generation Washingtonian, Tibbs spent his formative years in the home of his beloved grandmother, opera singer and art collector Madame Lillian Evanti. After completing his education in 1976, Tibbs returned to Washington, resumed residency at 1910 Vermont Avenue NW, and transformed the family home into an informal salon and gallery. The Evans-Tibbs Collection held its first in-house exhibition in 1978, and over the next two decades Tibbs organized exhibitions featuring both nationally renowned and local African American artists. As an advocate for African American art in Washington, Tibbs worked to create opportunities and fortify a network for a growing community of artists and collectors. In addition to collecting art, Tibbs amassed approximately 45 linear feet of material documenting the history of African American art and artists from 1810 to 1997. In the Library features correspondence, exhibition pamphlets, gallery records, photographs, and ephemera that illustrate the history of the Tibbs family, The Evans-Tibbs Collection, and African American art.

Organization: Organized by the National Gallery of Art, Washington

Passes: Admission is always free and passes are not required

Brochure: In the Library: The Evans-Tibbs Archive of African American Art by Vada D. Komistra and Anna C. Tomlinson. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 2019