Author Description

This catalog accompanies an exhibition of the extensive collection of American folk art purchased by the National Museum of American Art in 1986 from collector and author Herbert Waide Hemphill Jr. Curator Hartigan gives the reader insight into the alternate aesthetic of folk art and explores its relationship with more traditionally accepted mediums in the fine arts. This beautifully produced work includes, in addition to the substantial introductory material, detailed entries with physical descriptions and provenance of 196 pieces from the collection, a substantial bibliography, and an index.