The Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts presents Paintings by Mose Tolliver (ca. 1920-2006) in an exhibition on view through March 4, 2012.
Mose Tolliver, Model T with Creature, acrylic on plywood
Mose Tolliver, usually known as Mose T, was one of Montgomery’s most prolific and best-known self-taught artists. From the early 1980s until his death in 2006, he worked at his home on Sayre Street in downtown Montgomery, making paintings using latex house paint on plywood or Masonite boards. His first exhibition at the MMFA was held in 1981, and in 1982 he was included in the national exhibition Black Folk Art in America, 1930-1980 held at the Corcoran Museum of Art in Washington D.C.
The subjects of Tolliver’s paintings were largely established by the early 1980s, and included first birds, then animals, people, and fantastic creatures that were products of his vivid imagination. Unable to stand without crutches due to an industrial accident in the 1960s, he usually painted small works that could be supported on his lap, or laid flat on the floor. He used a wealth of paints and other materials, many of them brought to him by Montgomerians who appreciated his work and regularly purchased it.
The Museum owns twenty-six paintings by Mose Tolliver, ranging in date from 1970s to the 1990s, and will display a selection of his works from the collection during January and February. – www.mmfa.org
