Howard Finster Mixed Media on Shaped Wood Shelf Piece "Beverly"

Item Details

Howard Finster
Beverly
oil, marker, glitter, shaped wood
Signed

Howard Finster (American, 1916-2001)
Beverly, 1996
Oil, marker, and glitter on shaped wood
Dated “Oct – 8 – 1996” to the verso
Numbered “39.000.788” to the verso
Inscribed to verso
9.5’ W x 13’ H x 3.75’ D

A shaped wood shelf piece titled Beverly by famed folk artist Revered William Howard Finster (American, 1916-2001), executed October 8, 1996. Comprised of oil paint, marker, and glitter, this work features a stylized portrait of the artist’s daughter Beverly. The shaped wood bust is affixed to a rectangular wood base with Finster’s printed text mounted on top. To the verso, the work is inscribed, signed, dated, and numbered 39,788, making this a composition completed in the last few years of the artist’s life.

Howard Finster was a minister for over forty years in Alabama, the place where he was born. After retirement he moved to Summerville, Georgia, where he turned his swampland into Paradise Garden in reflection of his religious beliefs and a vision that sent him on a mission to create sacred art. Finster used oil, watercolor, lacquer and other paints on found objects and salvaged pieces of glass and cardboard to make religious folk art creations. His works have been featured on album covers for popular rock bands such as the Talking Heads which was featured as the 1985 album of the year in Rolling Stones Magazine, as well as on REM’s Reckoning album cover. Perhaps his most well known work is the eight foot tall Coca-Cola bottle commissioned for the 1996 Olympic Games global art project. Finster promised God he would create 5,000 paintings in his lifetime and in the end created 46,991 numbered pieces.

Condition

- minor scratches and paint loss scattered throughout; some residue and spots of accretion scattered throughout; chip present to underside of base.

Dimensions

Item #

18DCC450-079