Untitled (Very Old Mermaid)

David Butler, Untitled (Very Old Mermaid), ca. 1968, paint on tin, 12 x 30 1⁄2 in. (30.5 x 77.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2014.6.1

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled (Very Old Mermaid)
Artist
Date
ca. 1968
Location
Dimensions
12 x 30 1⁄2 in. (30.5 x 77.5 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment
Mediums Description
paint on tin
Classifications
Object Number
2014.6.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2014.6.1

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.

Works by this artist (9 items)

View all artworks
David Butler, Untitled (Very Old Mermaid), ca. 1968, paint on tin, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2014.6.1
Untitled (Very Old Mermaid)
Artist
Dateca. 1968
paint on tin
On view
David Butler, Untitled (Rooster), ca. 1970 - 1975, paint on tin with wood and mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Josh Feldstein, 2015.56.2
Untitled (Rooster)
Artist
Dateca. 1970 - 1975
paint on tin with wood and mixed media
On view
David Butler, Nativity, ca. 1968, paint on tin, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2014.61.1
Nativity
Artist
Dateca. 1968
paint on tin
On view
David Butler, Untitled (Angel), ca. 1970 - 1980, paint on metal, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Orren and Marilyn Bradley and Kohler Foundation, Inc., 2015.58.3
Untitled (Angel)
Artist
Dateca. 1970 - 1980
paint on metal
On view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Jesús Moroles, Lapstrake I, 1980, Georgia gray granite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alton and Emily Steiner, 2002.82
Lapstrake I
Artist
Date1980
Georgia gray granite
Not on view
John Safer, Chandelle, 1969, revised 2013, Lucite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2007.23
Chandelle
Artist
Date1969, revised 2013
Lucite
Not on view
Joseph Cornell, Untitled (Shell), early 1930s, mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, 1985.64.37
Untitled (Shell)
Artist
Dateearly 1930s
mixed media: paperboard, paper, shells
Not on view
Emery Blagdon, The Healing Machine, ca. 1955-1986, mixed media, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment and gift of Dan Dryden, friend of Emery Blagdon, the Kohler Foundation, Inc., and John E. and Douglas O. Robson, from the Margaret Z. Robson Collection, VR.2014.49.GRP
The Healing Machine
Artist
Dateca. 1955-1986
mixed media
On view