Nativity

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
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
Subjects
  • Religion — New Testament — Nativity
Object Number
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.

Works by this artist (1036 items)

William H. Johnson, Self-Portrait, ca. 1923-1926, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.679
Self-Portrait
Dateca. 1923-1926
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Young Pastry Cook, ca. 1928-1930, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.693
Young Pastry Cook
Dateca. 1928-1930
oil on canvas
On view
William H. Johnson, Portrait of a Man, ca. 1935-1938, oil on burlap, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.814
Portrait of a Man
Dateca. 1935-1938
oil on burlap
On view
William H. Johnson, Ferry Boat Trip, ca. 1943-1944, oil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1011
Ferry Boat Trip
Dateca. 1943-1944
oil on paperboard
On view

Exhibitions

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

More Artworks from the Collection

As Nantucket Harbor Looked in the Hey-Day
Dateca. 1959
watercolor, tempera, and pencil on paper
Not on view
William H. Johnson, Breakdown, ca. 1940-1941, tempera, pen and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.1103
Breakdown
Dateca. 1940-1941
tempera, pen and ink and pencil on paper
Not on view
William Zorach, Untitled (mural study), ca. 1941-1943, oil, tempera and pencil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift from the collection of Tessim Zorach, 1968.154.87A
Untitled (mural study)
Dateca. 1941-1943
oil, tempera and pencil on plywood
Not on view
Unidentified, William H. Johnson, Female Nude Lying on Side, ca. 1939-1940, recto: tempera on paper
verso: pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Harmon Foundation, 1967.59.235R-V
Female Nude Lying on Side
Artist
Dateca. 1939-1940
recto: tempera on paper verso: pencil on paper
Not on view