Much like Nelson Mandela, whose presence on the world stage ensures equal freedom and human rights for all, Diane Haman, owner of La Jolla’s J. Alexander Galleries, has dedicated the past three years of her life to making a difference.
After her brother ” a prominent Maui doctor ” committed suicide, Haman was compelled to begin raising awareness and funds to help those with mental illness. And she couldn’t think of a better way to honor her brother, who was passionate about art and whose last conversation with Haman was centered on the topic, than to open a gallery and donate the proceeds to charity, she said.
Her effort to help others expanded dramatically, however, when she secured Mandela’s artwork for her three-month-old Prospect Street business.
“Art has been a record of history throughout the ages,” Haman said. “It’s important to have his work as a symbol of peace and freedom and what we’ve accomplished, not just in this country but across the world.”
From July 23 to Aug. 3, Haman’s gallery will display Mandela’s entire collection featuring a series of sketches and lithographs depicting the former South African President’s time spent at Robben Island prison. A grand opening for the exhibit, complete with African drummers from Mandela’s staff, will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 25, at the gallery.
A large portion of proceeds from the exhibition will be donated to the Nelson Mandela Trust, which helps provide food, shelter, clothing and education for children in South Africa, according to Haman.
After being labeled a dissident by his country’s government in the 1970s and being incarcerated from 1964 to 1990, Mandela rose to become the first black South African president and is recognized internationally as playing a key role in banishing the oppressive apartheid regime and advocating for human rights worldwide.
The most famous of his pieces, a sketch entitled “The Window,” shows the view through the bars on Mandela’s cell window and has a retail value of approximately $30,000, Haman said. “The Window” was one of the fastest selling pieces in history and the only piece that Haman will not carry in the exhibition, she said.
Since the release of his art in 2003, the human rights activist has also become known as “the man with Africa in the palm of his hand.” In his piece “Right Hand,” Mandela was making an imprint with black paint and ironically noticed that the shape of Africa appeared in the center of his palm.
J. Alexander Galleries is the only one of its kind in the U.S. to carry Mandela’s full collection, said Haman, who added she was able to acquire the pieces by establishing a business relationship with Mandela’s Australian gallery.
Although a portion of the artwork was installed less than a week ago, Haman said the response has been great and that she plans to display portions of the exhibit after it closes in August.
The gallery’s logo, a Hawaiian symbol that stands for “a wave of light that makes you gasp,” was something Haman selected as a parallel between mental illness and art as a tribute to her brother.
“It stands for people emotionally, mentally and physically coming into the light “” being enlightened,” Haman said.
Her hope is that Mandela’s work will continue to do just that, leaving a profound impact on both the La Jolla community and everyone else in its presence.
“I think it’s a wonderful legacy to pass on to our own children about peace,” Haman said. “Imagine being able to own a piece of art from Martin Luther King “” what that would mean today. This is the same thing.”
J. Alexander Galleries, 1298 Prospect St., can be reached by calling (858) 454-7110.