Annina Nosei and Jean-Michel Basquiat in the 2,000 square-foot basement of her gallery at 100 Prince Street, NYC. Nosei later provided Basquiat with a studio on Crosby Street. Photo by Naoki Okamoto, courtesy Annina Nosei.
Annina Nosei will forever be associated with Jean-Michel Basquiat whom she helped launch into the mainstream art world as his first American art dealer, and whom she set up in a spacious studio where he could paint large canvases. Her connection with Basquiat was a career highlight, but only one event in a distinguished and ongoing art career that has repeatedly brought her into contact with major art trends and celebrated artists.
Born in Italy to an academic family, Nosei wrote her doctoral thesis on Marcel Duchamp at the University of Rome. In 1965 she moved to Los Angeles, taught at UCLA, and married art dealer John Weber, who was working for the Virginia Dwan Gallery before opening his own gallery in Soho’s most prestigious building, 420 West Broadway. In the 70s Nosei was at the very center of all the art action.
Nosei opened her own gallery in 1980 and quickly established herself as an astute player in a fast evolving artworld. A group exhibition in late 1980 featuring American and Italian New Image artists was one of the first to show and link future painting stars Clemente, Schnabel, and Longo. Her 1981 exhibition Public Address with Basquiat, Keith Haring, Barbara Kruger and Jenny Holzer captured other rising stars. Always a sharp-eyed observer of international trends, and a committed promoter of women artists, Nosei was one of the first American galleries to show Ghada Amer and Shirin Neshat, among others.
Over the last few months Gallery 98 has been fortunate to acquire many cards and catalogues from the Annina Nosei Gallery. Nosei has also made available a small collection of Dwan Gallery posters from the years John Weber was director. To learn more about Nosei and Basquiat see our earlier newsletter, Two Stories.
Art dealer John Weber’s short wave radio calling card, 1970s
John Weber, short wave radio calling card, 1970s. Size: 5.75 x 3.5 Inches — Available
Annina Nosei’s marriage from 1966 to 1973 to the prominent art dealer John Weber brought her into direct contact with radical new developments in art. In addition to being an art dealer, Weber was a short-wave radio enthusiast who had served as a radio corpsman during the Korean War.
Group exhibition with “New Image” artists from America and Italy, card, 1980
Drawings & Paintings on paper, card, Annina Nosei Gallery, 1980. Size: 4 x 6 inches — Available
Italian-born Nosei was one of the first art dealers to bring a new generation of Italian artists to New York. Here she paired them with a talented group of young American artists who were soon to gain wider recognition.
Mike Glier, Crying Man, card, 1981
Mike Glier, Crying Man, card, Annina Nosei Gallery, 1981. Size: 6 x 4.25 Inches — Available
Mike Glier, one of the artists in Nosei’s exhibition, Public Address, created loosely expressionistic paintings with subject matter that challenged male stereotypes.
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Anatomy, card, 1982
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Anatomy, Annina Nosei Gallery, card, 1982. Size: 8 x 6 Inches — Available
Nosei not only gave Basquiat his first American solo exhibition, she also published his first edition of prints. Because Gallery 98 has multiple copies of this historic card, a limited number are available at a reduced price.
Barbara Kruger, Surveillance, card, 1984
Barbara Kruger, Surveillance, card, Annina Nosei Gallery, 1984. Size: 6 x 4 Inches
Barbara Kruger was a featured artist in the 1981 group exhibition Public Address and later had two solo exhibitions at the Nosei Gallery.
Guillermo Kuitca, map paintings, card, 1990
Guillermo Kuitca, map paintings, card, Annina Nosei Gallery, 1990. Size: 6.25 x 4 Inches — Available
The Argentinian artist Kuitca became one of the most successful among the many Latin American artists whom Nosei discovered and worked with in the late 1980s and 90s. This was Kuitca’s first American solo show.
Ghada Amer, embroidered works on canvas, card, 1998
Ghada Amer, embroidered works on canvas, card, Annina Nosei Gallery, 1998. Size: 6 x 4.25 Inches — Available
This was the first America solo exhibition for Ghada Amer, now well-known for her embroidered canvases exploring “unsettling narratives of longing and love.”
