b-b-bonus this week in outsider art // december tweny-seventh
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FIND OF THE WEEK
Norval Morrisseau, also known as Copper Thunderbird or the Picasso of the North, is the grandfather of Indigenous contemporary art. One of the greatest artists out of Canada, he created some of the most visually stunning pieces of contemporary art, works that look like they could both be found in a cave from thousands of years ago, or at an exhibition opening next weekend.
“Jesus died for the white man, not for Indians.” — Norval Morrisseau
This piece was made famous in the documentary short filmed by Duke Redbird in 1974, “The Paradox of Norval Morrisseau” explores his relationship with his life as an Indigenous artist, a family man, a man of great faith and spirituality as he navigates the contemporary art world.
A new article about the life and work of Norval Morrisseau will be coming to Daily Art Magazine penned by yours truly — until then, enjoy this short documentary from 1974: The Paradox of Norval Morrisseau
B-B-BONUS
For the longest time, I’ve only known Steve Ashby from one of his fabulous works titled Mother and Child. It is in the permanent collection of the American Folk Art Museum, and this year, it was the seventh most popular work I shared on Instagram.
Then, one evening, I was conversing with one of my favorite artists, Esteban Whiteside, about some of our favorite works, and he told me how much he loved Steve Ashby. He has even done a series of works inspired by Ashby, so I had to dig deeper.
Steve Ashby was born to an emancipated slave in Virginia in 1904. A farm hand and gardener who could neither read nor write, in the 1960s, after his wife died, he began turning ideas into objects, combining wood and paint, sometimes magazine clippings and metal. The examples below from this incredible self-taught artist are just a small batch of his beautiful and powerful works of art reflecting African-American culture with his sense of humor and sense of ‘eroticism.’
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