Church Lady

William EdmondsonWW-1933-049619

1933·Limestone·48.7 × 19.4 × 19.4 cm (19 3/16 × 7 11/16 × 7 11/16 in.)

William Edmondson carved Church Lady with an abbreviated touch, barely giving form to the woman’s facial features and outfit as she holds a Bible in one hand and her purse in the other. This sculpture is one of several that Edmondson carved representating people from his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. Inspired by a divine calling, he first produced tombstones for members of his community and later turned to freestanding sculptures like Church Lady that reflected its social structures and values. By the time he had completed this work, Edmondson was on his way to broader acclaim, and in 1937 was the first Black artist to have a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Catalogue

Year: 1933
Medium: Limestone
Dimensions: 48.7 × 19.4 × 19.4 cm (19 3/16 × 7 11/16 × 7 11/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: William Edmondson

Artist

William Edmondson

William Edmondson was a self-taught African American sculptor who carved limestone figures and architectural ornaments in Nashville, Tennessee, from the 1920s until his death in 1951. Working primarily with discarded limestone blocks sourced locally, he developed a distinctive formal vocabulary of simplified human and animal forms marked by direct chisel marks and a monumental dignity. His limestone angels, biblical figures, and portrait heads emerged from a deeply personal religious faith and constitute a singular achievement in twentieth-century American folk and outsider sculpture. Edmondson's work was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1937, in what is widely recognized as the first solo museum exhibition devoted to an African American artist.

Davidson County, TN, USA

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