Thornton Dial (American, 1928 to 2016)
Thornton Dial was a pioneering African-American artist who produced exuberant drawings and paintings and large scale assemblages and sculptures with oil paint and the found material he collected. The work by Dial most admired in the art world are his assemblages commenting on race and the place of African-Americans in the larger society. Dial rightfully credited Bill Arnett, founder of the Souls Run Deep Foundation, as the person who recognized and championed his artistry. His work is in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC.; High Museum, Atlanta, GA; Houston Museum of Art, Houston, TX; and the American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, MD; among many others.
Information Courtesy of Rago Arts, October, 2019.