Untitled

Copied Hawkins Bolden, Untitled, 1987, galvanized iron, cotton, wood, wire, straw, 38 x 17 1⁄2 x 44 in. (96.5 x 44.5 x 111.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William Arnett, 1993.1.1

Artwork Details

Title
Untitled
Artist
Date
1987
Location
Dimensions
38 x 17 1⁄2 x 44 in. (96.5 x 44.5 x 111.8 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of William Arnett
Mediums
Mediums Description
galvanized iron, cotton, wood, wire, straw
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure
  • Object — furniture — chair
  • Object — other — container
Object Number
1993.1.1

Artwork Description

Hawkins Bolden’s sculptures make a bold statement about confronting challenge with creativity. Human in scale, dotted with multiple “eyes,” raw, rusted, tattered, and soiled, they are both arresting and discomfiting.

Bolden was blinded in a childhood accident. He took to sculpting, creating a population of scarecrow-like sentinels to protect the family vegetable garden from the birds. He used cast-off forms salvaged from around the neighborhood—reinventing both the junked items and himself.