By Debra Griboff

The work of self-taught artists is rarely found in museums. Often called “outsider art,” it describes art produced by those far from the traditional art institutions. Critics describe such works as having a naïve quality.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has decided to embrace such artists, however marginalized or excluded by art history. From May 19- Jan. 1, 2024, Of God and Country: American Art from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection explores provocative themes — from racism and death to the changing landscape.

The exhibition includes a broad range of media, organized in four sections.

“U.S. History & Life in America,” contains classic iconography: the flag, Uncle Sam, and portraits of figures from Abraham Lincoln and Dwight D. Eisenhower to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“The American Landscape” section showcases agrarian life — people and animals. Many pieces are from rural artists, often working on farms.

“Christianity and Spirituality” reflects a history of American evangelicalism from artists who tapped their religious lives to make art. Street preacher Sister Gertrude Morgan established a gospel mission in the lower ninth ward of New Orleans. In “New Jerusalem Highway,” she is represented as a bride of Christ.

“Death and Mortality,” the final section, also includes Christian themes, including the afterlife. Rev. Howard Finster presents a scaly dinosaur, painted on wood, surrounded by apocalyptic warnings in “People and Time Come Together.”  “St. Helena First Black Embalmer John, painted on a corrugated iron sheet by Sam Doyle, references his life as an embalmer.

Other works are critical of American society, such as “Jail was Heat” by Purvis Young and “The Enemies Within” by Herbert Singleton, which address incarceration and police practices that target black communities.  

Many of the artists represented in the exhibition eventually achieved considerable reputations, such as Martín Ramírez, Bill Traylor and Joseph Yoakum.

There are also less well-known 20th century contributors, such as Bruno del Favero and Jon Serl, who is compared to Grandma Moses.

The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection, considered one of the finest of the genre, gifted 177 works of American self-taught artists, to the museum in 2011.  

Louis Marchesano, the museum’s Audrey and William H. Helfand senior curator of prints, drawings and photographs, said: “Of God and Country argues for a much wider, open-ended and more inclusive consideration of artistic vision in the United States of the 20th century and today.”

If You Go:

The Philadelphia Museum of Art
2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Philadelphia, PA 19130