V. Joy Simmons, a Los Angeles-based physician and longtime art collector, opened her Baldwin Hills home to ARTnews for a tour of her extensive collection. The house features over 150 objects, including stained-glass windows by Varnette Honeywood and Joyce Dudnick, a site-specific column installation by Lauren Halsey, and works by Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, Kerry James Marshall, Mark Bradford, Kehinde Wiley, and Carrie Mae Weems, among many others. Simmons began collecting in the 1970s with a $50 lithograph by Catlett and has since built a collection that spans generations of Black artists, often juxtaposing older and younger artists in her displays.
This article matters because it offers an intimate look at a significant private collection of African American art, highlighting how Simmons has supported both established and emerging Black artists over five decades. Her home functions as a living archive and a statement of cultural pride, with pieces like the neon "black owned" sign and the stained-glass doors reflecting her intentional celebration of Black identity. The tour underscores the importance of collectors like Simmons in preserving and elevating Black artistic legacies outside of institutional spaces.