The Movie Star and the Tiger Need One Another

Thornton Dial, Sr., The Movie Star and the Tiger Need One Another, March 1992, charcoal, graphite, and watercolor on paper, sheet and image: 22 ¹⁄₂ in. × 30 in. (57.2 × 76.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson, 2016.38.25

Artwork Details

Title: The Movie Star and the Tiger Need One Another
Artist: Thornton Dial, Sr.
Date: March 1992
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: sheet and image: 22 ¹⁄₂ in. × 30 in. (57.2 × 76.2 cm)
Credit Line: The Margaret Z. Robson Collection, Gift of John E. and Douglas O. Robson
Mediums Description: charcoal, graphite, and watercolor on paper
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Animal — bird
Figure female — nude
Performing arts — theater — performer
Animal — tiger
Object Number: 2016.38.25
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2016.38.25

Artwork Description

The tiger became Dial’s trademark symbol for African Americans—fierce, nimble, and regal but also feared, maligned, and hunted. Their jungle environment was a metaphor for America, a place as bountiful and beautiful as it was treacherous. Here Dial considers the power of relationships and unlikely alliances. He contrasts the social power and privilege of celebrity with the instincts and ferocity of the tiger, suggesting that each has unique strengths, and that teamwork is the ultimate tool for survival.
(We Are Made of Stories: Self-Taught Artists in the Robson Family Collection, 2022)