Beautiful William Tolliver mixed media paper. 32 x 25 inches. Provenance: private owner.
Biography: 1951 - 2000. Artist William Tolliver, born in 1951, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, was the second oldest of fourteen children. Truly a rags-to-riches story, William, reared in abject poverty, had none of the advantages most people take for granted. Lacking both education and art supplies, and with little encouragement from his environment, the gifted Tolliver had to make do with what he could teach himself from books at the public library. Now a veritable master of all media, William Tolliver's successful career bears witness to the fact that talent can and will triumph over the worst odds.Tolliver is a versatile artist who handles figure studies, portraits, human interest situations, landscapes, and semi-abstracts equally well. He is at home in every painterly medium and uses a diversity of styles, all of which are polished and bear the unmistakeable stamp of his personality.His works are reminiscent rather than messege oriented, often reflecting experiences from his Mississippi childhood. Recurrent themes in Tolliver's art are people working and living---stevedors, farmers, cotton pickers, women embracing their children, and people playing musical instruments. He portrays his subjects with a pride and dignity that heretofore has been uncommon among modern artists.William Tolliver has been considered by many to be very likely the next great African American artist in the likeness of Romare Bearden and Jacob Lawrence. As a self taught artist, it is amazing the he has been able to master whatever he attempts.

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

Signed [Artist Name] : In cases in which the signature is legible in the lot, this work is described as-is with no attributions given.

By [Artist Name] : The work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : A work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: A work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century: This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).

Mint, based on the description