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Nov. 3, 2013 Sale: Candles In The Light: International Folk and Self-Taught Art

Auction: Sunday 11/03/13, 11 am Preview Exhibition: Thursday 10/31 to Saturday 11/2, 10am-6pm – Daily Browse the Catalog on LiveAuctioneers.com | Absentee Bid Form | Telephone Bid Form Material Culture brings an astonishing gathering of important folk and self-taught art to auction on November 3rd. Comprising over 700 lots, its sale, “Candles in the Light: International Folk and Self-Taught Art, ” revels in the spirit and diversity of unique artistic vision around the globe. A leader in self-taught art, Material Culture has once again compiled a stunning array of paintings and drawings in this burgeoning field, led by pieces by Purvis Young, Howard Finster, Justin McCarthy, Ellis Ruley, Prince Twins Seven-Seven, Victor Joseph Gatto, Thornton Dial, Jack Savitsky, Lee Godie, Anna Zemankova, Anne Grgich, and many others. Self-taught sculpture includes work by S.L. Jones, and Nate Barrow, both also shown in two-dimensional artwork, and folk-art inspired artists R.A. Miller and David Butler. A truly global compendium of folk art at the sale is led by pieces from Haitian metalworker Georges Liautaud, Togolese folk artist Abagli Kossi, and Felippe Archuleta, an American folk artist from New Mexico.  A large assortment of Georgia folk pottery comes to the sale, including the work of Lanier Meaders, [...]

2020-01-05T23:59:11-05:00October 21st, 2013|Uncategorized|
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Publications

As part of our stewardship to the study of traditional craft, we have been on the publishing team for a number of books in the field. We have put together joint ventures with other presses and academic institutions, and have also been the sole publishers of our own works. A detailed compilation of these works will be available here soon. Vernacular Architecture By Henry Glassie The Potter's Art By Henry Glassie Prince Twins Seven-Seven By Henry Glassie The Stars of Ballymenone By Henry Glassie Dreams of my Brother By Material Culture

2020-01-07T13:16:05-05:00September 16th, 2013|Uncategorized|
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Folk Art Legend Mr. Imagination Dies at 64

Mr. Imagination in the midst of his creations, including a bottlecap throne, suit, and figure. Renowned folk-artist and friend of Material Culture Gregory Warmack, known as Mr. Imagination, passed away on May 30, 2012 in Atlanta, Georgia, at the age of 64. Spiritual and prolific as an artist and warm and thoughtful as a man, he saw the untapped possibilities in everyday or discarded objects, transforming them into spectacular works of art. At times whimsical and at times commanding, his pieces always have an individual force and an animating presence. Born in 1948, the third of nine children in a religious family on the South Side of Chicago, Warmack had an early connection to art. A self-taught artist, he honed his creativity through his teens and twenties by making jewelry, carvings, canes and hats that he would sell on the street and in local venues. But his life was forever changed in 1978, when he was mugged, shot and left to die on the street. While doctors fought to save him, he had a near-death experience in which he was taken back in time to see ancient civilizations, including images of African masks, Egyptian kings, and grand thrones. [...]

2020-01-07T13:16:04-05:00September 16th, 2013|Uncategorized|
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Prince Twins Seven-Seven: In Memoriam

An article memorializing Prince Twins Seven-Seven, who spent time as Artist in Residence at Material Culture and passed away last June, appears in the spring 2012 issue of African Arts. We received permission from the author, Henry Glassie, to post it here to commemorate the anniversary of his death. A pdf of the full text, complete with original photos, is also available online. In Memoriam: Prince Twins Seven-Seven 1944–2011 by Henry Glassie To begin at the end is to begin in sorrow. Prince Twins Seven-Seven died in Ibadan on the morning of June 16, 2011. For seventy-two days he lay in the hospital, unable to move, communicating only by blinking his eyes. It was reported as a stroke, but whatever the cause, it was wrong—the wrong end for an ebullient man of constant action whose body was charged to the full. He beat rhythms on trees in childhood, danced on the road in youth; he whistled and sang while his hand darted and glanced, filling spontaneous shapes with intricate patterns bound for infinity. Prince was born on May 3, 1944, in Ijara, near the northeastern edge of Yorubaland. His father, Aitoyeje, was a Muslim from Ibadan. His mother, Mary, was a [...]

2022-01-13T12:44:39-05:00September 16th, 2013|Uncategorized|
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The Mezzanine Gallery: Summer-Fall Exhibitions

Material Culture presents: Friends An Exhibition Featuring Works by Jim Bloom, Vladan Gradistanac, Mr. Imagination, Maryann Matlock Hinkle, and Prince Twins Seven Seven July 1-Aug 30, 2013 Jim Bloom (1968- ) Jim was recently the subject of an essay titled “Stories of Wit and Irony” by Ron Schira in Raw Vision Magazine (Spring/Summer 2012 RV 75, p. 44-47). Jim was born in Allentown but has spent most of his adult life in Philadelphia. From childhood on, Bloom has been making visual art that is directly related to his own experiences, as well as his interests in film, story-telling, and the visual languages of his culture. Using collage drawing and painting, Bloom conjures an immediacy of action, story and relationship. We are excited to have recently acquired over one-thousand works by Jim Bloom. Strangers are Strange, an exhibition of works by Jim Bloom will run September 21- October 27, 2013. An exhibition catalogue will be available for sale. Vladan Gradistanac (1970- ) Vladan holds a BFA from the University of Fine Arts in Belgrade, Serbia where he taught art history and painting. A painter and photographer, his work has been exhibited in both the United States and Europe. While living [...]

2020-01-07T13:16:03-05:00August 8th, 2013|Store News|
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Self-Taught Art at the May 26, 2013 Folk Out Loud Sale

Material Culture is quickly becoming a leader in the field of self-taught or “outsider” art; the auction house considers the bold, individual visions of artists whose chief training comes from within to be equal to those that come from ‘inside’ the establishment. The May 26 "Folk Out Loud" sale features a wealth of opportunities for any art collector looking to expand or start a collection with pieces from this burgeoning field. Leading the sale are pieces by Purvis Young (1943-2010) and Sister Gertrude Morgan (1900-1980), whose paintings at auction are discussed in depth in the full "Folk Out Loud" press release. The self-taught art in this sale, along with the ethnographic and folk art that the auction contains, will be on exhibition from May 18 to May 25, with the auction beginning promptly at 11 AM, on Sunday, May 26. Liveauctioneers provides an online catalogue and live internet bidding at the time of the sale.  An early piece by Nigerian self-taught artist Prince Twins Seven-Seven (1944-2011) also leads the sale. Prince was an original member of the acclaimed Osogbo School, named for the Yoruba town Osogbo, which had its roots in the Mbari Mbayo Club created by Ulli and Georgina [...]

2020-01-07T13:16:03-05:00May 8th, 2013|Uncategorized|
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May 26, 2013 Sale: Folk Out Loud

Auction: Sunday, May 26, 2013 at 11AM (EST) Exhibition: May 18-25, 10AM-6PM Special Auction Exhibition Barbecue: Saturday, May 25, 12 noon-3PM Free and Open To The Public Browse the Catalog on LiveAuctioneers.com | Download the Print Catalog (pdf) Absentee Bid Form | Telephone Bid Form Material Culture is celebrating the spirit, animation and theatricality of folk, self-taught and ethnographic arts in its May 26 auction, “Folk Out Loud.” Featuring over 400 lots, the sale will provide an exciting mix of art and artifacts from around the world, from paintings by important self-taught artists, to African tribal art, to American cigar store Indians. Objects at the auction nearly encompass the history of folk art, with pre-historic to 12th century to 21st century artifacts being presented for sale. This eclectic array of art will be on parade in an exhibition from May 18 to May 25, with the auction beginning promptly at 11 AM, on Sunday, May 26. Liveauctioneers provides an online catalogue and live internet bidding at the time of the sale. One of the highlights in self-taught art is a masterpiece by American artist Purvis Young (1943-2010). The large untitled piece known as “Father of the Peoples,” an assemblage with [...]

2020-01-29T14:25:17-05:00May 8th, 2013|Uncategorized|
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