Elijah Pierce's America

Elijah Pierce (1892–1984) was a self-taught artist who created artworks that brought him national and international fame in the 1970s. His carvings tell his own life story and chronicle the African American experience, ranging from politics to religion. His secular carvings show his love of baseball, boxing, comics, and movies, and reflect his appreciation for American heroes who fought for justice and liberty. A critic summarized what Pierce's artwork foregrounds in his work: he reduces what he wants to say to the simplest forms and compositions, which are decorative, direct, bold, and amusing.

Format: Hardback
Length: 208 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2020
Publisher: Paul Holberton Publishing

Elijah Pierce (1892-1984) was born the youngest son of a former slave on a Mississippi farm. He began carving at an early age when his father gave him his first pocketknife, and throughout his life, he honed his craft and created artworks that would eventually bring him national and then international fame. Elijah Pierce's America seeks to revisit the artist's oeuvre and see it in its own right, rather than as naïve, as it was known at the time. Through his carvings, Pierce tells his own life story, but he also chronicles the African American experience. He made his living as a barber and was also a qualified preacher; just as his barbershop was a place for gossip and meeting, so his art reflects his own and his community's concerns. His subjects ranged from politics to religion, but he seldom distinguished the race of his figures—he thought of them as everyman figures. His secular carvings show his love of baseball, boxing, comics, and movies, and reflect his appreciation for American heroes who fought for justice and liberty. A critic summarized what Elijah Pierce's America foregrounds in Pierce's artwork: He reduces what he wants to say to the simplest forms and compositions. They are decorative, direct, bold, and amusing. He uses glitter and all kinds of devices to make his message clear. It gives his work an immediacy that's very appealing. Accompanying a major exhibition at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, Elijah Pierce's America shines a light on the sophisticated work of an artist with a distinct and important voice.

Weight: 1396g
Dimension: 248 x 287 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781911300878