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Bessie Harvey
Bessie Harvey was
born in 1929 in
Dallas Georgia and
died in 1994 in
Alcoa, Tennessee.
She was a folk
sculptor who created
powerful, sometimes
grotesque figures
from tree branches
and roots. She once
said that her clay
pieces and masks
portrayed souls. Her
paintings depicted
faces of the
tormented to African
kings and queens.
Bessie had a vision,
a gift. She could
close her eyes and
see things others
couldn't. Bessie
achieved star status
with collectors for
her powerful and
mysterious works.
Some scholars in the
field of black
studies believe that
her style had
African and/or
voodoo origins.
Bessie was the first
self taught artist
to be included in
the Biennial of the
Whitney Museum in
New York since Edgar
Tolson was selected
for the show in
1973. And her work
has been included in
just about every
African American
show since 1990.
Since her death
collectors are in
search of her work. |
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Bessie Harvey MORE |
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Harvey was a self-taught artist who sought
out and embellished pieces of found wood,
tree roots, and household objects to create
small narrative scenes depicting biblical
heroes as well as the lives of African
Americans. |
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Something Out of Nothing |
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Born Bessie Ruth White on October 11, 1929,
in Dallas, Georgia, Harvey was the seventh
of 13 children born to Homer and Rosie Mae
White. Of her adverse circumstances, the
artist once observed, "The story of my life
would make Roots and The Color Purple look
like a fairy tale. |
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There was nothing. In the
morning, you'd just get up, go
looking for whatever you could
find, and if you had one meal
that day, then you'd made
progress." To make matters
worse, Harvey's mother was an
alcoholic and her father died
when she was a child. While
drawing strength from her
mother's strong Christian faith,
the artist found additional
comfort in her own ability to
give shape to her visions using
her hands and ordinary objects.
"I was always finding ways of
making something out of nothing
when I was little. I'd find some
old box and make us an old-timey
car. I'd put two tin cans in
front and two in back, and we'd
sit in it and go off places. All
kinds of places. I think it was
God's way of making us happier
children." This theme of escape
would reappear prominently in
her art some 50 years later. |
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