Nicola Vassell

Nicola Vassell (born 1979)^[1] is a Jamaica-born American art dealer, curator, and gallery owner. She is recognized as the first black woman to open an art gallery in the Chelsea Arts District of New York City.^[2][3][4]

Early life and education

Vassell was born and raised in Jamaica. She moved to New York City in 1996 to work as a model.^[5] She studied business and art history at New York University beginning in 2002.^[6][7]

Career

In 2005, Vassell began working as an intern at the Deitch Projects gallery after meeting Jeffery Deitch at the 2004 Armory Show.^[6] She became a director at Deitch in 2007, where she developed a close relationship with Kehinde Wiley and worked until its closure in 2010.^[5][6][8] Vassell then served as a director at Pace Gallery between 2010 and 2012.^[8]

In 2014, Vassell started her own contemporary art advisory and curatorial business, Concept NV. Through her firm, she curated a group exhibition, "Black Eye," which featured the work of contemporary black artists, including Derrick Adams, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Simone Leigh, Kerry James Marshall, Toyin Ojih Odutola, and Sanford Biggers.^[4][8][9] She also curated the artwork that appeared in Empire's second season.^[10] Vassell co-curated "Edge of Chaos," an exhibition about feminism and ecology, at the Venice Biennale in 2015.^[8] The same year, she co-produced the No Commission Art Fair with Swizz Beatz as well as was appointed the curatorial director of the Dean Collection, a contemporary art collection founded by Beatz and Alicia Keys.^[11]

In May 2021, Vassell opened her eponymous gallery on Tenth Avenue in Chelsea.^[4] The gallery's inaugural show featured the work of Ming Smith.^[12] In November 2023, Vassell announced a partnership with Hauser & Wirth for co-representation of artist Uman and the production of a jointly organized exhibition of her work at Hauser & Wirth London in January 2024.^[13]