The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has received a landmark gift of 31 paintings, sculptures, and drawings from the Pamela J. Joyner and Alfred J. Giuffrida Collection, which focuses on abstract works by artists of the African diaspora. The donated pieces, created by 20 American artists born before 1930—including Elizabeth Catlett, Beauford Delaney, Norman Lewis, and Richard Mayhew—are intended to fill historical gaps in the museum's collection. Joyner, who became an SFMOMA trustee in 2020, selected works that represent the earliest generation of artists in her collection, aiming to support a more inclusive art-historical narrative.
This gift matters because it significantly advances SFMOMA's ongoing efforts to diversify its holdings, following its 2019 deaccession of a Mark Rothko painting to raise $50 million for more inclusive acquisitions. The museum has since acquired 91 works by Black artists in the past fiscal year. Joyner's donation, which includes highlights like Catlett's "Singing Head" and Lois Mailou Jones's "Peasants at Kenscoff," is expected to transform the museum's galleries and inspire further patronage toward a richer, more expansive representation of art history.