Representative, 1994

Details

THORNTON DIAL (1928-2016)
Representative, 1994
initialed 'TD' lower left
mixed media on canvas mounted on board
65 in. high; 58 in. wide; 17 ½ in. deep

Provenance

Ricco Maresca Gallery, New York
William Louis-Dreyfus, Mount Kisco, New York, 1995 (acquired from the above)
The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation, Mount Kisco, New York, 2016 (gifted from the above)

Literature

William Louis-Dreyfus, Karen Wilkin and Trenton Doyle Hancock, Inside the Outside: Five Self-taught Artists from the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation (William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation, 2015), no. 28.

Exhibited

Katonah, New York, Katonah Museum of Art; Greensboro, North Carolina, Weatherspoon Art Museum; and Naples, Florida, The Baker Museum, Inside the Outside: Five Self-Taught Artists from the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation, 19 July - 11 October 2015 (Katonah), 21 May - 4 September 2016 (Greensboro), 28 March - 23 July 2017 (Naples).

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Cara Zimmerman Head of Americana and Outsider Art

CZimmerman@christies.com +1 212 636 2230

Lot Essay

While displaying the built-up surfaces and assemblage characteristic of Dial’s work, this construction also exhibits a stark simplicity in its use of only two colors, black and white. The contrast between and meaning behind these tones emphasizes a division in the canvas that speaks to the division in the artist's world. Dial confronted difficult subject matters in his work, and this piece is no exception, as it seemingly addresses the societal division of segregation.

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