Howard Finster.
Coca-Cola Bottle.
1990, #13,424.
Signed, dated, titled, numbered.
Paint and marker on cut out board.
Excellent condition.
34"h x 10.5"w.
Illustrated: Text by Nancy Collins, Photographs by Mary E. Nichols, Carrie Fisher's Oasis – The Actress's Spirited Residence in the Hollywood Hills, Architectural Digest, November 2004, pages 252-253.
Photograph online shows Finster Coca-Cola Bottle hanging in Fisher's bedroom.
Provenance: Carrie Fisher (1956-2016)
The Mike Dale Collection.
Est. $2,000-$3,000.
Ship: $55

Howard Finster was born in rural Alabama in 1916, one of thirteen children raised on the family farm of Samuel and Lula Finster. "Born again"at age 13, Finster preached his first sermon at 16. To support his wife, Pauline, and their five children, Finster continued as a preacher and tent revivalist, while also working at various times as a radio show host, columnist for the local newspaper, bricklayer, carpenter, plumber, and bicycle and lawnmower repair man.

In 1961, Finster bought four acres of land in Pennville, Georgia, near Summerville, to build his roadside tribute to inventors, the Plant Farm Museum. Later dubbed "Paradise Garden, "this rock and junk laden wonderland became the focus of Finster's work. He retired from the ministry in 1965 to devote himself more fully to his task. In 1976, as he was using his fingers to apply paint to a refurbished bicycle, Finster noticed that the paint smudge on the tip of his finger had formed a human face. A divine voice spoke to him saying, "paint sacred art." Finster obeyed. Almost every painting he created has a number: God asked him to do 5,000 paintings to spread the gospel and Finster wanted to keep track. He completed his God-given task of painting 5,000 works a few days before Christmas in 1985, but he continued painting and numbering until the day he died in 2001, leaving behind over 46,991 pieces of art as testimony to his faith.

This Coca-Cola Bottle belongs to a large family of images depicting Finster's favorite drink. Finster divided the composition into three registers corresponding to the bottle's structural divisions, often unifying the top and bottom portions by painting their backgrounds the same color. A host of Finster's familiar multihued angels accompanied by stars and spaceships in silver and bright tones circle the middle section, providing a glimpse of a celestial outer space world that God revealed to him in his visions. Resting Souls and Heavenly Mansions dominate the top and bottom sections.

Howard Finster achieved great fame in his lifetime, designing record album covers for rock groups such as R.E.M. and Talking Heads. In 1983, Finster made a memorable appearance on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson where he sang and played his banjo. In 1994, a portion of his Paradise Garden was installed as part of the permanent collection of Atlanta's High Museum of Art. His work is included in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. and numerous others. Finster's art bridges many classifications—folk, outsider, naïve, visionary, and Finster was responsible for introducing millions to this art. Even with his fame, Finster never wavered from his mission to spread the gospel through his art.