HOST: Just over the East River in Brooklyn, Roadshow met up with Gbenga Akinnagbe.
Actor and self-described storyteller, whose love for old things led him to purchase and restore a brownstone in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
GUEST: Hello, my name is Gbenga Akinnagbe, and you are in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, in my house.
My whole family's from Nigeria. I, I was the first one born here in the States. I was born
in Washington and I grew up in Maryland. I was in a school for troubled youths for middle
school and high school, and I'd earned my way out when I went out for the wrestling
team. My coach after my first season gave me some pamphlets for Bucknell University.
So I ended up going there for, for wrestling camp the summer after my junior year. And
then they started actively recruiting me. That changed everything. Wrestling had saved
my life and helped to give me focus. All of that helped me to start to discover what my
art would be, what, what, how I would want to express myself and that, that's what eventually
led to acting. I don't really call myself an actor or think of myself as an activist
or an entrepreneur. I just like to make things and, like, tell stories. And to me, they're
all forms of telling stories. I loved playing Chris Partlow on "The Wire," more so for the
experience of the people I got to work with, who are still family to this day. I don't
buy most of my art from one set place. I just go by what speaks to me and where I am. Often
it's been in auction, a charity auction. So to me, that's a, a twofer. You get to support
that particular nonprofit and then also pick up a cool piece that speaks to you.
HOST: Gbenga invited Kathleen Guzman to check out his knockout collection of Muhammad Ali
photos.
APPRAISER: So clearly, you have a fascination with Muhammad Ali.
GUEST: (laughing)
APPRAISER: How did this start?
GUEST: I'm a wrestler by trade. I wrestled in high school and college. So I love combat
sports and, and I love what Muhammad Ali represents, not just being an amazing boxer, but what
he did to change the sport of boxing, and sports in general. That's what kind of started
my passion for it. Plus, he was such an outspoken activist. When it was difficult, he had to
sacrifice everything, and people turned their back on him then, and he still spoke up for
what he believed. That always touched me. And this one, because you never see photos
of Muhammad Ali on his ass. And I was, like, "I want that one." Because it shows, like,
even great champions have to pick themselves up at some point.
APPRAISER: Which was the first one you bought?
GUEST: These two together were in an auction, I believe, at the Soul Train Awards.
APPRAISER: And this one?
GUEST: Another charity auction, uh, here in New York. I believe it was the Urban Arts
Gala.
APPRAISER: So let's look at them a little chronologically. The earliest one, picture
you have is from 1964. The Beatles happened to be in the United States to tape The Ed
Sullivan Show, and they went down to Miami on a press junket, and they met Ali. Not their
first choice. They were supposed to meet Sonny Liston.
GUEST: Oh, wow.
APPRAISER: And Sonny did not want to have anything to do with the Beatles. So they went
to the 5th Street Gym and they posed with Ali. It is an iconic picture. So here, Sonny
Liston was supposed to be in this photo with the Beatles, and here, he's knocked out in
the first round. This was such a controversial fight. It was actually held in 1965 at a gymnasium
in Maine. Ali knocked him out with a punch that no one could see. So now it's the "Phantom
Punch."
GUEST: I remember, yeah.
APPRAISER: And even today, some people think this whole fight was rigged. And then your
last picture is from the Fight of the Century, from 1971. This was the very first bout between
Frazier and Ali, both championship heavyweights at the time. It was the most anticipated fight,
and at the end, Frazier "knocks him on his ass," as you would say.
GUEST: (laughs)
APPRAISER: It was a unanimous decision for Frazier. There went on to be two other fights
after this one. So you have a great chronology here. In terms of authenticity of pictures,
what you have are typical of what is given to a charity auction.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: These are oversized reprint photographs. They're bigger than the original photographs
would have been. In this particular picture, which is color, is wonderful, you have these
what look like signatures here, but these are reproductions.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: So they're not original.
GUEST: (yelps playfully)
APPRAISER: Oh, well!
GUEST: (laughs)
APPRAISER: Um, the Muhammad Ali signature, though, is original. While this picture, though,
is 1965, clearly, the signature is much later, because it's when Ali had Parkinson's.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: Do you remember what you paid for these?
GUEST: I got these together. I don't remember exactly, because it was, it was years ago.
I think it was anywhere from $2,500 to $3,000? Maybe $2,800. For the two together.
APPRAISER: And do you remember what you paid for this one?
GUEST: I'd have to say it was in the 2,000s.
APPRAISER: These are not limited editions. These are not numbered, like some would be
if they were original vintage photographs. So that's something to consider.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And because they were made in large multiples, you gave an awful lot to charity,
as well.
GUEST: (laughs) It's very diplomatic of you.
APPRAISER: In terms of value, this one would be between $1,000 and $1,500.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: Because the Ali signature is authentic and it's a great photograph, between $2,000
and $3,000.
GUEST: Okay.
APPRAISER: And with the Fight of the Century, again, about $1,500 to $2,000.
GUEST: Okay. Okay. They have given me a lot of joy. Um, but no, they're not worth more
than $4,000. (both laughing)
GUEST: I got into vintage furniture, funny enough, because of my love of brownstones.
I came across this furniture piece that was falling apart in a damp basement here in Brooklyn
when I was looking to buy my, my home. And so that started me on this track to find ways
and people who could help me preserve this furniture. So I started my company Enitan
Vintage. Enitan means "person of story" or "a story behind this person's life."
HOST: Gbenga invited David Rago to take a look at his favorite chair and ottoman.
GUEST: So I have this chair I'd love to show you. Just the first piece that kind of kicked
off the whole journey of, of me getting into it.
APPRAISER: This is an Eastlake style chair, which is an American or European interpretation
of Aesthetic Movement design. You can tell by the way the back is carved, this ebonized
finish. Can't tell you what kind of what it is because the ebonized finish covers it,
but probably oak or walnut, but a really good period piece from the fourth quarter of the
19th century.
GUEST: Oh, wow.
APPRAISER: I think the chair is a combination of machined and hand-finished. I would guess
the larger parts are machined to some extent, but the detailing would be chip-carved or
carved by hand. Please, tell me about the fabric, because the way they set this off
is just beautiful.
GUEST: It took me months. When I first started to, you know, get into repurposing them, I...
A lot of the fabric that was presented to me as options, they just didn't speak to me.
And so I kept looking, kept looking. And eventually I, I, when I was away shooting a project in
South Africa, I came across this fabric and I brought it back, and I gave it to the upholsterer.
And he had never done it, like, with fabric like this, and I had never done it at all.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
GUEST: So, it was an experiment. He got exactly what I was aiming for.
APPRAISER: It's a really nice job.
GUEST: Yeah. A lot of people think that all the fabric was made in Africa, when, in actuality,
much of it was made in the Netherlands.
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
GUEST: Part of why I find this all fascinating and kind of a way of speaking to story is
the appropriation of the appropriated. The Dutch having been a colonizing power in the
world at one point, they were in Indonesia and were trying to take this batik technique...
APPRAISER: Mm-hmm.
GUEST: ...that the Indonesians had perfected, and was part of their culture, and eventually
they had come up with batik fabric that was a copy of that Indonesian technique, but the
Indonesian market wouldn't take it. And so that they found that Africans would, and so
they started to sell the Dutch fabric using the Indonesian technique to the African market.
And now we're, I'm, we're covering European and mid-modern pieces.
APPRAISER: People look at it and see a beautiful chair, and you... ecologically sound, it's
a very small carbon footprint, repurposing an old piece of furniture. Really beautifully
done. You've essentially gotten furniture that, even if it was in great condition, much
less found in a moldy basement, that there's no value in and you've repurposed it and made
something beautiful and valuable out of it. I mean, that's, that's the truth. It's called
OBF, old brown furniture.
GUEST: (laughs)
APPRAISER: And people by and large don't want it anymore-- the kids don't want it.
GUEST: Yeah.
APPRAISER: But when it looks like this, I'd have to think there's a young, new market
for it. I know you have similar things for sale-- obviously, they're all one-offs-- but
how much would this sell for?
GUEST: Ooh...
APPRAISER: The set-- both the chair and ottoman?
GUEST: Because also, it has the emotional attachment of being the first piece, I think
maybe I'd put it up there for $3,500.
APPRAISER: Emotions are overrated.
GUEST: Right. (both laughing) How much would you say it's worth?
APPRAISER: No, I think, it feels like a $2,000 set to me, if anybody was buying new furniture.
GUEST: That seems like a fair-ish price.
APPRAISER: I would have expected more, knowing how much time and effort has to go into it.
I think this footstool is not Eastlake. I think it's probably...
GUEST: No, it wasn't.
APPRAISER: It looks more like Duncan Phyfe to me, which would be first third of the 19th
century.
GUEST: So how much would you say that's worth? Because I got a mortgage.
APPRAISER: Before you put your hands on it or after?
GUEST: Both.
APPRAISER: Before you put your hands on it, about $25.
GUEST: Oh...
APPRAISER: After, I'd say $500.
GUEST: Woo-hoo!
HOST: Appraiser Betty Krulik arrived in Bed-Stuy to marvel at Gbenga Akinnagbe's auction find,
a piece by a contemporary African American artist.
GUEST: I'm fortunate enough to be on the board of a great museum here in Brooklyn called
MoCADA. And we were having a fundraiser, and I bought this in the, the auction.
APPRAISER: And did you know who it was when you bought it?
GUEST: At the time, no. There was a lot of buzz about this artist that I, that I just
started to learn about the artist with my involvement with, with the museum. So, but
I didn't really have much of a history of art or knowledge or background in art. So
it was all new to me at the time. It was years ago.
APPRAISER: And, and what year was that, do you think?
GUEST: I don't remember. (both laughing) I think it was...
APPRAISER: Approximately...
GUEST: Maybe...
APPRAISER: Five years? Ten years?
GUEST: It was more than five years ago. So I would say maybe eight years ago.
APPRAISER: The artist is... flavor of the month.
GUEST: (laughs)
APPRAISER: This artist is so hot that his market has gone from paintings, let's say,
you know, large-scale paintings, selling for $150,000-- which is a substantial amount of
money-- to, the record this past December, 2020, was over $4 million.
GUEST: Titus?!
APPRAISER: Titus Kaphar.
GUEST: (exhaling reverently)
APPRAISER (laughing): Yes. This is a work in collage. Only one collage by Titus Kaphar
has come on the market in the past five years. It sold in December of 2020 and it sold for
$27,000.
GUEST: Oh, wow.
APPRAISER: So what did you pay for this?
GUEST: I don't remember. I don't, I do know it was nowhere near that. I think it was maybe...
$1,000? I'm, I'm... I have to double-check with the museum, but I think it was, if even,
maybe $1,000.
APPRAISER: Yeah, well, you did really well. You're a great stock picker, and I want to
know who else you're looking at, because I want in. (both laughing) Titus went to San
José College and got a B.A. in 2001. He went to Yale and got his MFA in 2006. So when you
think about this just 14 years, to go from being an art student...
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: ...to achieving incredible notoriety. And he's a young man. He is just at the beginning
of his career. So, you know, there's buy, hold, and sell?
GUEST: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
APPRAISER: This is hold. How do you read the subject?
GUEST: What I love about Titus's work, um... And that, really, art that resonates with
me in general is its, its ability to tell stories. And, like, I've looked at this in
so many ways to try to interpret the, the story. Obviously, I think it speaks to the
experience of Black Americans here in the United States, as much of his work does. I
see there's an angel there, as well. So there's the aspect of religion, and it's these beautiful
faces, stoic faces. And then there's a car. I think part of, like, the working-class experience,
but I also could be projecting a lot. (chuckles)
APPRAISER: Well, we all bring in our own experiences when we view a work of art. And Titus in particular
looks at the canon in art history, and takes these well-known works of art and overlays
the African American experience.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: One of his most famous works is a scene of the Declaration of Independence,
and Muhammad Ali is standing on the table. It's interesting how he pulls back the veil
and makes you think about how African Americans helped to build our country.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And the back story for lots of different eras. In this case, this is an Annunciation.
Although it wasn't titled when you bought it, Titus has since entitled the work "New
Annunciation." It's a collage work, and he found this image of an early French 19th-century
artist named Amaury-Duval, and he collaged it in with this wonderful image of this working
woman. So the angel of the Annunciation is announcing the God Child.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: So, in many ways to me, I read this as an, almost an adoration of the shepherds.
GUEST: Mm!
APPRAISER: And there are lots of art-historical, classical overlays, like, this column is used
in pre-Renaissance art as the symbol of the new world order with the birth of Christ.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: You have here African American merchants juxtaposed with working people.
It's an incredibly rich, multi-layered-- not only art-historically, but culturally-- image.
GUEST: Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER: And I think it's phenomenal. I think that the value for your work by Titus
Kaphar is about $30,000.
GUEST: (chuckling)
APPRAISER: That would be a good insurance value.
GUEST: Oh. (laughs)
APPRAISER: Because you would need to...
GUEST: (laughing heartily)
APPRAISER: You'd have to, you'd have to pay that to get another one.
GUEST: (laughs) This is what... This is what I do when I'm, like, like, at a, at a loss
for words, or nervous. (laughing) Okay, okay, wow.
APPRAISER: So...
GUEST: This right here?! (mimics voice breaking): Titus, I love you.
APPRAISER: (laughing)
GUEST: Thank you so much for coming. I've had a great day with ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, uh,
and learning so much about the history of all these pieces and the artists. A lot more
about Titus Kaphar, who I've been a fan of, now I'm even more so of a fan. I learned about
my, my Beatles/Muhammad Ali piece. Um, and, uh, and the other Muhammad Ali pieces. It's
exciting. I'm excited to do more as soon as I can afford to do more. (laughs)