Mose Tolliver (Alabama, 1920s-2006), Watermelon

1980s, paint on plywood, vibrant iconic image from this outsider artist, signed lower right corner.

11 1/2 x 19 1/2 x 1/4 in.

From the Collection of James Boyles and David Hawkins, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Tolliver was born one of 12 children to sharecropper parents at the Pike Road area near Montgomery, Alabama. His exact year of birth is unknown, though it is known he was born on the Fourth of July. During the late 1960s, after a severe injury having his legs crushed when a load of marble and fell from a forklift, Mose turned to painting to combat the pain and long hours of idle time.

Several minor edge imperfections which do not detract.