Self-Portrait

Mose Tolliver, Self-Portrait, 1985, oil on fiberboard with human hair, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.142
Copied Mose Tolliver, Self-Portrait, 1985, oil on fiberboard with human hair, 24 1216 78 in. (62.242.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.142

Artwork Details

Title
Self-Portrait
Date
1985
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
24 1216 78 in. (62.242.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on fiberboard with human hair
Classifications
Keywords
  • African American
  • Portrait male — Tolliver, Mose — self-portrait
Object Number
1986.65.142

Artwork Description

Mose Tolliver was able to stand only with the aid of crutches after a factory accident injured his legs in the late 1960s. He then began to paint, and the exaggerated legs and crutches in this self-portrait emphasize his physical disabilities. Tolliver often used unconventional materials in his paintings and here included pieces of his own hair around the head and upper lip.