William Edmondson
William Edmondson was one of the finest sculptors working in Tennessee during the Great Depression . He is still considered one of the most important artists to come from Tennessee.
Edmondson did not study art in school. Instead he developed his own style of carving rock, using mostly limestone. Artists like Edmondson who did not have formal training in schools are often called folk artists.
Edmondson was born in 1874. Both of his parents had been slaves before the Civil War. Edmondson lived in the Nashville area. He had several other jobs before he became a sculptor. He worked on a farm, in the machine shops of a railroad, and at a hospital until 1931.
Edmondson then got a job working for a stonemason. He used skills he learned at work to create beautiful sculptures. The first type of sculptures Edmondson made were tombstones. In addition to the words, he often carved animals like lambs on top of the tombstones.
Eventually, Edmondson began creating different kinds of sculptures. He made images of animals, like lions. He even made sculptures of Eleanor Roosevelt. He also made sculptures related to religion, like pulpits.
In 1937, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City had an exhibition of Edmondson’s sculptures. This was the first time that an African American artist had his own show at this important museum.
Many museums like the Tennessee State Museum continue to share Edmondson’s sculptures with visitors today. He died in 1951 but is still one of the most important sculptors in Tennessee history.
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The Great Depression & WW II >> The Great Depression >> The Arts >> Fine Arts
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