A GRANT FOR ART

Athlete or aesthete? Both descriptions apply in the case of NBA All-Star Grant Hill.

Now in his 14th season in the NBA, Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill has proven time and again that he has a nose for the basket. But what many people don’t know is that the seven-time NBA All-Star also has a keen eye for art. And Hill is no dabbler: A portion of his substantial personal collection of African American artwork once toured the country for close to three years.

Hill’s collection — which includes more than 100 collages, prints, paintings, and sculptures — features works by 20th-century masters like Romare Bearden and Elizabeth Catlett, as well as lesser-known artists. Hill says his art infatuation can be traced to his mother Janet and his father, former NFL star Calvin Hill, who have been avid collectors for much of Hill’s life. When the younger Hill was able to buy a home for himself after he turned pro, he says it was only natural for him to pursue art because “I wanted to decorate my home like the one I grew up in.” (Coincidentally, another footballer helped jump-start Hill’s collection: His first purchase was a print by former AFL player Ernie Barnes.)

Thirty-five-year-old Hill, who majored in history at Duke, values the way the African American masters captured the spirit of certain eras. “Some of the images are dark,” he explains, “and others show strength and are full of hope. The art portrays what we’ve been through, so I like to pay homage to the artists, to show them respect.”

Hill chuckles when asked what role his wife, Grammy-nominated recording artist Tamia Hill, plays in selecting new works for their collection. “She’s very involved,” he says with a smile. “As an artist herself, she can respect the work that’s required [to create art]. She’s Canadian, so she doesn’t share the same heritage I do. But she’s got a good eye.”

Good enough, in fact, that the couple sponsored a seven-city exhibition titled “Something All Our Own: The Grant Hill Collection of African American Art,” which featured more than 40 pieces and toured between 2003 and 2006. The art from that exhibit is now in storage in the suburbs outside Washington, D.C., where Hill was raised; he says that the current plan is to “rotate it in and out of our different homes.” But that doesn’t mean another tour is out of the question. “We got great feedback,” he says, “and at some point we may go out again.”

— Ranald Totten