William Hawkins (1895-1990).
Elephant.
Signed, 'William Hawkins Born July 27 1895'.
Paint and glitter on found board with original artist-decorated plastic frame.
43"w x 27"h.
Excellent condition.
Provenance: Richard Gasperi Gallery, purchased directly from the artist.
Est. $6,000-12,000. Ship: $125

William Hawkins was raised on a farm in Kentucky and learned to draw by copying illustrations from magazines and calendar pictures. When he was 21, he moved to Columbus, OH, where he painted the cityscapes and fantastic and fanciful animals for which he is best known. Hawkins was a notoriously adept scavenger and painted many of his earliest works on materials he found on construction and dump sites near his home. The painting offered here is likely a prime example of Hawkins' recycling prowess. Hawkins' work is included in the ­permanent collections of every major museum in the country with an interest in folk art, including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, The American Folk Art Museum, and The High Museum of Art.