Horace Pippin (1888-1946)
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Horace Pippin (1888-1946) was an African-American painter known for his depictions of slavery and race relations. His paintings, influenced both by classical and folk art, often depicted prominent African-Americans and the fight against slavery; in addition, many of Pippin's works feature religious themes, juxtaposing the immediacy of the fight for African-American equality with biblical subjects.
He was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, moving to Goshen, New York shortly after his birth. He displayed an early affinity for artistic expression as a child, winning supplies from an art contest. He spent most of his youth attending segregated schools, a topic to which he would frequently return in his art. After school, he worked a variety of jobs in order to support himself while practicing art on the side, completely self-taught. Although he made time for his art, his most groundbreaking pieces did not surface until later in his life.
While serving in World War I, Pippin's life was forever changed when a sniper shot his right arm in 1919, rendering it immobile. This incident, in addition to his marriage in 1920, inspired him to take up painting in order to strengthen his right arm. He learned how to use his left arm to support and guide his right arm in order to be able to execute a variety of brush strokes. He began to gain recognition in the 1930s despite his lack of formal training. He was included in a traveling show organized by the Museum of Modern Art in 1938. His only formal training didn't come until the age of 51 when he enrolled at the Barnes Foundation in 1939. This led to his first solo exhibition in 1940, followed by several more, almost one per year leading up to his death; many of these exhibitions led to purchases of his art, spreading it out in galleries across the United States.
Pippin died in 1946 of a stroke. When the Smithsonian Institution created the Archives of American Art, an online collection of important works, letters, and documents surrounding notable American artists, Pippin was one of the first artists whose letters were digitized.
He was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, moving to Goshen, New York shortly after his birth. He displayed an early affinity for artistic expression as a child, winning supplies from an art contest. He spent most of his youth attending segregated schools, a topic to which he would frequently return in his art. After school, he worked a variety of jobs in order to support himself while practicing art on the side, completely self-taught. Although he made time for his art, his most groundbreaking pieces did not surface until later in his life.
While serving in World War I, Pippin's life was forever changed when a sniper shot his right arm in 1919, rendering it immobile. This incident, in addition to his marriage in 1920, inspired him to take up painting in order to strengthen his right arm. He learned how to use his left arm to support and guide his right arm in order to be able to execute a variety of brush strokes. He began to gain recognition in the 1930s despite his lack of formal training. He was included in a traveling show organized by the Museum of Modern Art in 1938. His only formal training didn't come until the age of 51 when he enrolled at the Barnes Foundation in 1939. This led to his first solo exhibition in 1940, followed by several more, almost one per year leading up to his death; many of these exhibitions led to purchases of his art, spreading it out in galleries across the United States.
Pippin died in 1946 of a stroke. When the Smithsonian Institution created the Archives of American Art, an online collection of important works, letters, and documents surrounding notable American artists, Pippin was one of the first artists whose letters were digitized.