Object Record
Images
Metadata
Artist |
Harvey, Bessie |
Title |
African Totem |
Medium |
mixed media |
Date |
circa 1988 |
Description |
Bessie Harvey (Dallas, Georgia 1929-1994 Alcoa, Tennessee) African Totem, circa 1988 Painted wood, wood putty, feathers, shells, metal, plastic, and found objects 73 x 29 x 20 inches Knoxville Museum of Art, 2012 gift of Glady and Ross Faires Bessie Harvey is considered by many as an important American visionary and outsider artist-someone who develops a body of work outside the mainstream of art schools, art galleries, and museums. The Alcoa, Tennessee-based artist used her work as a powerful means of exploring spirituality, religion, segregation, slavery, and various narrative dramas in which her root characters often act out stories drawn from history. African Totem reflects Harvey's interest in Africa as an ancestral home and a source of endless spiritual and artistic energy. It also illustrates her ability to compose large, complex sculptures in the round using a wide variety of media and found objects. |
Catalog Number |
2012.09.01 |
Search Terms |
Wood Feathers Metals Plastics Objects Sculpture Paint Mixed media works Assemblage Women Artists |
Credit line |
Knoxville Museum of Art, gift of Glady and Ross Faires |