Home | Artists	Updated December 14, 2006
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

View Images USA Midwest

Columbus, OH Elijah Pierce 1892-1984 Sculpture (wood and paint)

Information: A folk-art carver of bas reliefs, Elijah Pierce created works that "are considered to be among the most important American folk carvings" of the 20th Century. (Rosenak 215). Described as a sculptural storyteller, he did carvings of African-American sports heroes, biblical subjects and political and social issues. He is best known for his religious carvings including the "Book of Wood", a series of thirty-three large reliefs with each representing one of the thirty-three years of the life on earth of Jesus Christ. Elijah Pierce began carving as a young child in Mississippi and settled in Columbus, Ohio where he ran his barbershop that had two rooms---one for the barber customers and one for displaying his carving. The largest collection of work including the "Book of Wood" series is at The Columbus Museum of Art in Columbus, Ohio. In 1993, that museum held a retrospective exhibition of his work, "Elijah Pierce, Woodcarver". With more than 170 pieces, the exhibit traveled to several venues. Chuck and Jan Rosenak, "Contemporary American Folk Art: A Collector's Guide"

	Reference / Links:
	Keny Galleries: "Elijah Pierce" Columbus State Community College Columbus Museum University of Kentucky NY Times (obit) Short North Gazette The Galleries at Moore The King Arts Complex Slotin Folk Art Lindsay Gallery Smithsonian American Art Museum
	(Detour Art is not responsible for the content of external web sites.)

Bibliography: The Columbus Museum of Art is home to the most extensive collection of Pierce's work. "Black Folk Art in America 1930-1980" by Jane Livingston and John Beardsley, published for the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1982. "Museum of American Folk Art Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century American Folk Art and Artists" by Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, New York, 1990. "Contemporary American Folk Art - A Collector's Guide" Chuck and Jan Rosenak, Abbeville Press, 1996. "20th Century American Folk, Self Taught, and Outsider Art" by Betty-Carol Sellen, Cynthia J. Johnson, Neal-Schuman Publishers, New York, 1993. "Flying Free: Twentieth-Century Self-Taught Art from the Collection of Ellin and Baron Gordon" by Ellin Gordon, Barbara L. Luck and Tom Patterson, exhibit catalog for The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, 1997. "Self Taught, Outsider, and Folk Art—A guide to American Artists, Locations and Resources" by Betty-Carol Sellen with Cynthia J. Johnson, 2000. "The Intuitive Eye, The Mendelsohn Collection" by Ricco/Maresca Gallery, 2000. "Let it Shine: Self-Taught Art from the T. Marshall Hahn Collection" by Lynne E. Spriggs, Joanne Cubbs, Lynda Roscoe Hartigan, Susan Mitchell Crawley, Michael E. Shapiro and Peter Harholdt, organized by the High Museum of Art, 2001. "American Self-Taught Art: An Illustrated Analysis of 20th Century Artists and Trends with 1,319 Capsule Biographies" by Florence Laffal and Julius Laffal, 2003. Slotin Folk Art Auction Catalog, Masterpiece Sale, November 4, 2006

	Credit:
**If you discover credit omissions or have additional information to add, please let us know at
(back to listing)	(top)
Home | Artists A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z