Nativity

Copied David Butler, Nativity, ca. 1968, paint on tin, 39 × 28 in. (99.1 × 71.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2014.61.1

Artwork Details

Title
Nativity
Artist
Date
ca. 1968
Location
Dimensions
39 × 28 in. (99.1 × 71.1 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
paint on tin
Classifications
Highlights
Keywords
  • Religion — New Testament — Nativity
Object Number
2014.61.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2014.61.1

Artwork Description

David Butler fashioned a garden of pounded, cut, and painted metal forms around his Louisiana house. His sculptures fuse biblical imagery with characters from his dreams. The tiered layers, attached parts, and cut-out shapes created an animated array as wind and sunlight played across his installation. Butler, with other African Americans across the South, blended Christian beliefs with folk practices to create spaces that felt self-determined and protective in a world that was often harsh and unpredictable.

Exhibitions

Media - 1970.353.1-.116 - SAAM-1970.353.1-.116_9 - 127238
Galleries for Folk and Self-Taught Art
October 21, 2016–January 31, 2030
Smithsonian American Art Museum
SAAM’s collection of folk and self-taught art represents the powerful vision of America’s untrained and vernacular artists.