"He was very strategically trying to make a subliminal statement that said: Here’s my home, I’m African American, I have the same kinds of problems as any other American family, but the pictures I have on my wall are made by African American artists about the lives we live, which are still by and large a mystery to mainstream America," says artist and scholar Leslie King-Hammond, graduate dean at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore.

VALUE JUDGMENT Popularity and prices for African American fine art have risen in recent years. Last February saw the first auction dedicated solely to the genre. It is a market long shaped by prejudice, and collectors, many of whom see their support as a kind of political statement, are often willing to share their holdings with museums and other venues, furthering interest. Growing attention makes the market more competitive. Still, experts see opportunities in abstract works and pieces by young contemporary artists.

When Norma and John Thompson built their home in Indianapolis 14 years ago, they designated one wall as "the Sam Gilliam wall." Like the Cosbys, the Thompsons felt strongly about reflecting their history and heritage in their collection. Norma recalls that they visited Gilliam’s studio in Washington, D.C., and acquired a work that still hangs in their home.

"What I enjoy most is the beauty of the art. Sam Gilliam’s work is so colorful and very vibrant, even the textures are alive to me," Norma says.

Since that first purchase in Gilliam’s studio, the Thompsons have made an effort to get to know every living artist whose work they collect. Though John never met Lawrence in person, they had a dozen phone conversations before Lawrence’s death in 2000. John recalls talking with Lawrence about the first painting of his that the Thompsons bought, Tie Rack. They discussed the Harlem apartment where Lawrence lived when he created the work, as well as his experiences in the neighborhood and his life as an African American artist in New York.

"Jake was there through it all," says John, owner of an Indianapolis firm that specializes in industrial and construction supplies. "I can begin to understand and feel that entire evolution, and why so many African American artists of that period ended up in Europe."

Sometimes the personal connections the Thompsons forge with artists lead to highly personal art. After meeting Gilliam, the Thompsons visited him when they returned to John’s hometown of Baltimore. They were also fans of Chicago-based sculptor Richard Hunt and asked the artists to collaborate on a table, believing their styles would complement each other. Hunt created four elaborate steel legs and a base, which the Thompsons picked up and drove to Gilliam’s studio so he could add the tabletop. The piece now sits in their living room, surrounded by other Hunt sculptures and abstract pieces by Jack Whitten.

Norma loves living among these works, but she also recognizes the importance of sharing them. To that end, the Thompsons regularly loan a substantial portion of their collection, focused on 20th-century abstract works, to museums. They continue to loan works, even after one prized piece, a Catlett Seated Woman sculpture purchased for $20,000 in 1993, was chipped while on loan. "Artwork is meant to be seen, and I want the world to see the work," John says.