"The Knoxville Museum of Art has announced its recent acquisition of two oil paintings by Yigal Ozeri, the photorealist painter currently enjoying an exhibition at the Lilienthal Gallery in Knoxville. The works, entitled “James Baldwin” and “Untitled; Sonia” are additions to the KMA’s contemporary painting collection joining other works by photorealist artists.
Donated by the Lilienthal Gallery, Ozeri’s “James Baldwin” is based on Richard Avedon’s 1945 photograph of the then 21-year old writer and soon-to-be civil rights leader. The connection between Baldwin and Knoxville-native Beauford Delaney make this acquisition particularly significant, as it will join the KMA’s “Portrait of James Baldwin” by Delaney in the museum’s collection."
— Alan Sherrod, Arts Knoxville