Edgar Tolson and Donny Tolson 1980s Carved Wooden Folk Art Figures

Item Details

A pair of circa 1980s carved wooden folk art sculptures by listed Kentucky outsider artists Edgar Tolson and his son Donny Tolson. Featured is an Edgar Tolson carving of a snake-handling female figure wearing a painted blue bikini, with a black serpent coiling around her extended right arm. The figure is mounted to a square wooden base signed ‘Edgar Tolson, Campton’ in pen to the underside. Also featured is a similar work created in 1980 by Donny Tolson depicting a male figure with long hair and beard. He is depicted standing with a coiled snake motif cane, wearing a suit and bow tie; the piece is unpainted but features applied color accents to the figure’s eyes. It rests on a rectangular base signed ‘Carved by Donny Tolson Son of Edgar Tolson, March 25, 1980’ in pen to the underside.

Campton, Kentucky folk artist Edgar Tolson (1904 – 1984) was a Baptist minister who began his art career in earnest in the 1950s. His stylized carved figures, often embellished with painted accents, are inspired by his rural Kentucky upbringing and religious background, with themes including Adam and Even and Uncle Sam. His works have been exhibited at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, with multiple sculptures included in the collection at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. For more information about Edgar Tolson, please refer to the links below.

Condition

- breakage and repair to Donny Tolson figure’s right hand; minor wear and markings.

Dimensions

- measures items grouped; largest piece measures 5.0" W x 16.0" H x 5.0" D; smallest piece measures 3.5" W x 11.5" H x 7.0" D.

Item #

18LEX025-116

Additional Information

Edgar Tolson at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Edgar Tolson at the KMAC Museum