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OUTSIDER ARTIST BILL TRAYLOR A WINNER AT CHRISTIE'S |
Untitled (Great Black Bull); poster paint on cardboard; circa 1939-42; 12 1/2 inches by 15 3/4 inches; $22,705. Photo courtesy of Christie's
Bill Traylor moved to Montgomery, Ala., in 1939, set himself up in front of a fruit stand on Monroe Avenue and spent his days drawing.
It didn’t seem to matter to the 84-year-old ex-slave and field hand that he had never drawn before, never taken any classes and appeared to know little if anything about art.
Traylor was on a mission.
Like a madman he created a grand pictorial memoir of life around him from his early years on the farm to his later life on the streets of Montgomery. In three years no less than 1,500 works showing animals, people, farm life, houses, street-life and abstracts resulted.
At night Traylor slept in a shoe repair shop or the back room of a funeral parlor. Living on a welfare check of about $15 a month didn’t seem to stifle his creative urge.
Direct. Authentic. Accessible. Straight from the artists’soul. That’s Traylor’s style. He may not have even called what he was doing “art.”
Outside the norm and uncooked by the culture, this self-taught style, done by talented artists like Traylor, is the growing folk art of the 20th century.
Reminiscent of prehistoric rock carvings, Traylor’s animal drawings speak of ancient civilizations and engravings found in the Sahara Desert and Egypt. Similar to primitive rock art, Traylor’s animals appear ready to leap. Like the Egyptians, Traylor sometimes painted the front view of a face on a body turned sideways.
When they were done, Traylor hung his works of art by loops of string along a fence nearby as a way to entertain his audience in the neighborhood. In the beginning, his tools consisted of torn cardboard, pencil stubs, crayons and charcoal sticks.
With the help of a friend who liked to watch him work, Traylor learned to write his name. His signature is included in many of his pieces, usually in a rambling, looping script. Most of his works measure less than 24 inches by 18 inches.
One day a local artist by the name of Charles Shannon happened by and began to bring Traylor poster paints and better paper. With Shannon’s support, Traylor’s work was eventually exhibited and preserved.
Today, experts rank Traylor among the top ten most important self-taught artists. His first big break came in 1982 with the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., in an exhibition titled, “Black Folk Art in America, 1930-1980,” featuring 36 of his pieces.
Among the museums housing Traylor’s work are the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Museum of American Folk Art, and Whitney Museum of American Art.
Self-taught and outsider art is a growing area as more and more museums add artists to their permanent collections. As centers for the elderly, mentally ill, and developmentally disabled increase so does the demand for their art.
On Jan. 16, Christie’s New York featured a selection of Self-Taught and Outsider Art in its Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Prints and 20th Century Self-Taught and Outsider Art auction. Here are some current values for Bill Traylor.
Bill Traylor
Untitled (Exciting Event with Drinker); colored pencil on cardboard; circa 1939-42; 8 1/4 inches by 10 1/2 inches; $21,150.
Untitled (Red Construction); pencil and poster paint on cardboard; circa 1939-42; 13 inches by 8 1/4 inches; $21,510.
Untitled (Great Black Bull); poster paint on cardboard; circa 1939-42; 12 1/2 inches by 15 3/4 inches; $22,705.
Untitled (Stove Form); poster paint on cardboard; circa 1939-42; 12 ¼ inches by 15 inches; $28,680.
Other artists
William Hawkins; J. & F. Supermarket; enamel on masonite; 30 1/8 inches by 37 3/4 inches; $28,680.
William Edmondson; Squirrel; limestone; 13 1/2 inches by 7 1/2 inches; $35,850.
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