Untitled
Object Label
A blues musician and visual artist, James “Son Ford” Thomas made his portrait-like studies from unfired clay that he dug from various sites near his home, including the Mississippi River riverbed. Often adding wax or hair grease to stop the raw clay from cracking, the artist would sometimes bake his pieces in a fire before adding paint and found objects, such as the cigarette included here. Thomas, who also worked as gravedigger, saw his pieces as personal reflections on the people he knew in his community, as well as a commentary on the inevitability that “we all end up in the clay.”
Caption
James "Son Ford" Thomas American, 1926–1993. Untitled, 1987. Unfired clay, fiber (artificial hair), paper, tobacco (cigarette), glass (marbles), metal - iron alloy (pin) and white metal? (coin), overall: 8 1/2 × 7 1/4 × 10 3/4 in., 12 lb. (21.6 × 18.4 × 27.3 cm, 5.44kg). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection, 2018, 2018.28.6. © artist or artist's estate
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Untitled
Date
1987
Medium
Unfired clay, fiber (artificial hair), paper, tobacco (cigarette), glass (marbles), metal - iron alloy (pin) and white metal? (coin)
Classification
Dimensions
overall: 8 1/2 × 7 1/4 × 10 3/4 in., 12 lb. (21.6 × 18.4 × 27.3 cm, 5.44kg)
Inscriptions
James Thomas written into the back of the bust in the leather hard clay - after painting
Credit Line
Gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection, 2018
Accession Number
2018.28.6
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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Frequent Art Questions
Hi, wondering why James "Son Ford" Thomas is here with the Feminists...?
Actually, this exhibition is less about showing feminist artists and more about using a feminist approach to interpreting and looking at art. This is why there are a few men included, as our curators felt they were important to help tell a richer narrative about art-making in unconventional spaces or materials. Also, sometimes men are included because they are feminists too!Thomas worked many jobs, often as a laborer, such as grave-digging, while also making art and music. He is shown here with other artists like Hannelore Baron who made art on the side, in their own home, rather than being a full time studio artist.Wow -- thanks for explaining.Very folk-y!Yes! One of the main themes in this show is to question the delineation that is often made between the categories of craft, folk art, outsider art, and fine art.
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