Spring 2020, Bruce Teleky, an artist, art dealer and publisher, father, friend, mentor and faithful believer in doing the right thing, passed away after falling into a coma a month earlier.
Among the many talented artists Bruce Teleky has published are the late Joseph Reboli, who was the pioneer of popular coastal painting, Justin Bua, the well-regarded urban artist, whom Bruce Teleky first published in 1986, and William Gottlieb, who is recognized as the greatest photographer of the jazz age.
His crowning contribution was his early investment in African American artists, starting in the late 1980's. Difficult though it may be to believe, less than forty years ago, very few African American artists were receiving the kind of recognition successful artists normally do, and fewer were being published for mass market consumption. Posters and limited editions make art easily available. The publication of African American artists' works as posters enabled broad appreciation of the stories they uniquely told.
He always developed a relationship with the artist or their heir, and worked closely with them to produce high quality reporoductions. Some of the artists he published include:
It was around this time I first met Bruce, when I became his employee and a salesperson specializing in Black Art. We remained friends. He was always there for me when I needed help. We never had a conversation that didn't brighten or enlighten. In a twist of fate, after losing touch for several years, we discovred that we both had children born months apart with the same name, mine a daughter, his a son. Years later these two became close friends as part of a larger friend group which endures to this day. Finally, I heard of his death from my daughter, who heard from his son.
I miss him terribly. There is no one else like him.