Lot 159
**First Time At Auction**
Jimmy Lee Sudduth (American, 1910-2007). House paint or acrylic mixed with other substances i.e. sand on plywood, ca. 1980s. Hand signed in pencil at upper left. A striking painting by self-taught outsider artist Jim Sudduth (also known as Jimmy Lee Sudduth) featuring two rows of ball players in a stadium before a crowd and three towering skyscrapers beyond. Sudduth typically began his works by painting with his fingers, because as he stated "they never wore out". He rarely used traditional brushes or canvases and experimented with interesting binders such as sugar and syrup. Interestingly, in this composition, Sudduth mixed a sandy substance with pigment to create a gritty texture on the buildings as well as crowd below. While many of Sudduth's artworks were inspired by the life he lived as an African American in the rural South, he was also inspired by American cities as demonstrated in this painting. A lively stadium scene by this legendary outsider artist, set in a custom wooden frame that - adorned with knots and charming pseudo-wormholes - complements its folk art style perfectly. Size of painting: 23.5" L x 23.5" W (59.7 cm x 59.7 cm) Size of frame: 28.25" L x 28.25" W (71.8 cm x 71.8 cm)
Jim "Jimmy Lee" Sudduth was raised on farm in Caines Ridge, Alabama. His interest in creating art began during childhood. Jimmy Lee enjoyed making hand-carved dolls and drawing on tree trunks or in the dirt. He continued to develop his artistic expression by finger painting on found objects - doors, signs, and plywood boards - creating pigments from plants and the earth, using house paint, and mixing in unusual binding agents like sugar and syrup. Also a blues musician, he played harmonica and banjo.
Inspired by Manhattan and other American cities, Sudduth painted several paintings that featured crowds and skyscrapers - like the Smithsonian's "Big City Skyline" (ca. 1988 - accession number 1997.124.39) - to "emphasize the anonymity of America's large cities." According to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, "Jimmy Lee Sudduth began making art as a child in his native Alabama. To create his own paints and dyes, he would collect leaves, mud, and foodstuffs, a skill he learned from his healer mother, who gathered plants from the woods to make medicines and remedies. Using his fingers as brushes, he would compose images on whatever surface was available to him, often boards from a local plywood factory. His art often depicted everyday life in Alabama, but he also created views of New York and other cities. In Big City Skyline, lines of people move toward imposing skyscrapers, emphasizing the anonymity and isolation of Americas large cities."
Sudduth's works have been exhibited and collected by many museums such as the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the High Museum of Art, the Corcoran Gallery, and the Birmingham Museum of Art. Among numerous honors, Sudduth served as an artist-in-residence at the New Orleans Museum of Art, appeared on "60 Minutes" and the "Today Show", and was invited to exhibit his art and play harmonica at the Smithsonian Institution's Bicentennial Festival of American Folk Life. In 2005, the Birmingham Museum of Art honored the artist with a solo exhibition, and Sudduth's painting entitled, "Self Portrait with Banjo" is exhibited at the Smithsonian Luce Foundation Center.
Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010
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#173083
- Condition: Signed by the artist at the upper left. A few minor scratches to the black background. The custom wooden frame has a few scuffs as shown but is otherwise very attractive, adorned with knots and charming pseudo-wormholes that suit its folk art style. Also fitted with a suspension wire and ready to display.
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