Howard Finster 1993 Painted Wooden Cutout Folk Art Woman's Portrait

Item Details

Reverend Howard Finster (Georgia/Alabama; 1916 – 2001)
Untitled, 1993
Acrylic and glitter on wooden cutout
Signed “Howard Finster” to front and verso

An original 1993 acrylic painting with glitter accents on a shaped panel by very well-listed American folk artist Reverend Howard Finster (Georgia/Alabama; 1916 – 2001). The painting depicts the torso of a woman in profile. She wears a patterned red dress and red jewelry, and is rendered in a naive hand. Circular forms of glitter accent her garment. Text is written across the piece’s base, where it is also signed. The piece is again signed, dated, and has several handwritten notes to the verso.

Howard Finster was a minister for forty years in Alabama, 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 compositions. 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. Perhaps most well known for his 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.

Dimensions

Item #

18CIN517-196