When Allen Thomas Jr. began collecting art in college, the North Carolina native had no idea where his hobby would lead him. Now, the North Carolina Museum of Art houses Thomas’ latest collection—one of the hundreds he has since accumulated.
The display honors the 20th anniversary of its director and Thomas’ longtime friend Larry Wheeler.
Born and raised in Wilson, North Carolina, Thomas developed an interest in art and photography during his time at Appalachian State and UNC-Wilmington where he studied political science. As an avid collector, Thomas has been donating pieces to various museums and exhibits all across the state for years.
The NCMA exhibit, Private Eye, consists of a large amount of donated photographic works from Thomas’ collection. Thomas, though, said the exhibit pales in comparison to what Wheeler has done for the museum and for him personally.
“I wanted to knock him over the head with appreciation,” Thomas said. “We both share a passion for contemporary art, and our friendship was formed after he visited to see my photography collection in Wilson.”
Thomas met Wheeler in 2004 after reading a story about him in the paper with a photo by Anthony Goicolea, one of Thomas’ favorite artists, in the background. He then called Wheeler to ask him about the photo and they met shortly after.
Wheeler came to Thomas’ house in 2005 to see his collection, according to Thomas. When Wheeler came back with six or seven curators, they scared Thomas “to death” when they wanted to borrow some of his photos for an upcoming show at the time.
“It was the first time I ever thought someone else would like what I had,” Thomas said. “It opened my world in a very positive way.”
This was not the only time meeting important people in the industry intimidated him, Thomas said.
“He later invited me to meet Goicolea, and I lied and said I had to work because I was too nervous,” Thomas said.
As the friendship between these two men grew, Wheeler introduced Thomas to other photographers whose works interested him. The more Wheeler helped him, the more Thomas wanted to show his appreciation.
“I decided to do something daring that would let him know how much he had influenced me,” Thomas said. “It was a process, and it took me months to decide.”
Although Thomas describes himself as “far from a curator” and “100 percent a collector,” his collaboration with curators over the years has made exhibits, such as Private Eye, possible.
“This transformative gift of 65 photographs significantly expands the breadth and scope of the museum’s photography collection, augmenting works by photographers currently in the collection as well as adding works by photographers previously not represented,” said Linda Dougherty, curator of the exhibition.
Yet while curators now seek out Thomas’ work, Thomas said this was not always the case.
“When I started collecting art, photography was not looked at as a museum-quality medium,” Thomas said. “I had to go to New York to buy photographs.”
That changed when he wandered into a New Orleans gallery solely for photography, Thomas said.
“I had never seen one before,” Thomas said. “I stayed three hours, and the owner explained to me why photography was a legitimate art form.”
Since 2005, Thomas held shows at the Turchin Center for Visual Arts at ASU, Barton Galleries, Taubman Museum of Art, CAM Raleigh and the Greenville Museum of Art, as well as loaning works in at least 50 other exhibitions worldwide. Thomas said he continues to find exciting artists making work today and still enjoys the rush of discovering art.
Dougherty, an admirer of Thomas’ collection, echoed the effects of his lifelong passion.
“With an uncanny knack for discovering emerging photographers before the rest of the art world does, Thomas has amassed one of the most important collections of contemporary photography in the Southeast, if not nationally,” Dougherty said.
Although Thomas says he isn’t an artist, he didn’t let that stop him from contributing significantly to the culture he loves.
“I knew I liked art, but knew I had no talent,” Thomas said. “I took art classes I could manage and started realizing its commerce. People make things to sell; it’s like purchasing their passion. I was able to take it home, and that thrills me to no end.”
