Elijah Pierce. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Kennedy Brothers (detail), 1977. Carved and painted wood relief with glitter. Courtesy of Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio
About the Exhibition
“In a biblical flood of carved imagery, this barber turned preacher turned wood-carving artist and storyteller shows us heaven, temptation, and grace.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
Elijah Pierce’s America presents the exceptional work of self-taught woodcarver Elijah Pierce (1892–1984), known best for a tour-de-force volume of biblical scenes. His carvings depict remarkable narratives—religious parables, autobiographical scenes, episodes from American politics—and sometimes include figures from popular culture and sports.
A barber by trade and a preacher by calling, Pierce reacted to life in 20th-century America through his handcrafted works, which also reflect his experience in one of the first generations of African Americans born into freedom. Pierce’s rich and varied sculpture is celebrated in this landmark exhibition, held in the Roberts Gallery.
Elijah Pierce, age 91, displays one of his carvings, 1982. Courtesy of Columbus Metropolitan Library
Exhibition Catalogue
Elijah Pierce’s America
As the first substantial book on Elijah Pierce to be published in more than 25 years, this catalogue marks a new phase of the artist’s critical reception. Copublished by the Barnes and Paul Holberton Publishing, this beautifully illustrated catalogue features essays by co-curators Nancy Ireson and Zoé Whitley, as well as contributions from Sampada Aranke of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, artist Theaster Gates, and Michael D. Hall, Adjunct Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art at the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio.
Exhibition Organization
This exhibition is co-curated by Nancy Ireson, Deputy Director for Collections and Exhibitions & Gund Family Chief Curator at the Barnes Foundation, and Zoé Whitley, Director of Chisenhale Gallery, London.
Sponsors
Elijah Pierce's America is sponsored by:
Additional support for the exhibition is provided by Jeanne Ruddy and Victor F. Keen, Amy A. Fox and Daniel H. Wheeler, Jack and Barb Hafner, Pamela and James Hill, John J. Medveckis, Lisa Roberts and David Seltzer, Frank and Kathleen M. Seidman, and other individuals.
The publication is made possible by a generous grant from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Foundation.
Ongoing support for exhibitions comes from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Exhibition Fund, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and Aileen and Brian Roberts.
In addition, support for all exhibitions comes from contributors to the Barnes Foundation Exhibition Fund:
Joan Carter and John Aglialoro, Julia and David Fleischner, Leigh and John Middleton, Jeanette and Joe Neubauer
John Alchin and Hal Marryatt, Christine and Michael Angelakis, Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, Lois and Julian Brodsky, N. Judith Broudy, Laura and Bill Buck, Elaine W. Camarda and A. Morris Williams, Jr., Gloria and John Drosdick, Eugene and Michelle Dubay, Christine and George Henisee, Lisa D. Kabnick and John H. McFadden, Marguerite Lenfest, Maribeth and Steven Lerner, Victoria McNeil Le Vine, Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation, Hilarie and Mitchell Morgan, Kay and Michael Park, The Rittenhouse Hotel, Adele K. Schaeffer, Katie and Tony Schaeffer, Dr. and Mrs. Eugene E. Stark, Joan F. Thalheimer, van Beuren Charitable Foundation, Kirsten White, Anonymous.