Oppenhimer Collection of Folk Art

This collection comprises masterful works made after 1950 by untrained artists who present wholly authentic and original images of their worlds. Their works—often made out of materials at hand, such as dirt, house paint, leftover linoleum and plywood—are expressive, imaginative and powerful. The collection transcends traditional notions of the “fine arts” to exemplify beauty, hope and the power of the human imagination.

Artworks in this Collection

Click thumbnail to view full image

MALCAH ZELDIS  Rosa Parks on the Bus
HOWARD FINSTER  The Flag Is More Than a Piece of Cloth #15,772
WESLEY WILLIS  The Shore Line
WESLEY WILLIS  The Dan Ryan Expressway Past 39th toward 35th Street
WILLIE WHITE  Untitled (Green and black square, red  and green sphere)
WILLIE WHITE  Untitled #1 (red and black square, blue and  green sphere, horse)
INEZ NATHANIEL WALKER  Untitled (Red-faced Man)
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN PERKINS  I Pledge Alegience
DONALD PATERSON  The Lion Tamer
Jim Harley Willett
Jim Harley Great Blue Heron
SABINITA LOPEZ ORTIZ  The Tree of Life, Adam and Eve
GEORGIA BLIZZARD  Walter
DWIGHT MACKINTOSH  Untitled (Human figure with animal)
MILES CARPENTER  Watermelon Slice
JAMES HAROLD JENNINGS  Crown with Blue Pinnacles
JAMES HAROLD JENNINGS  Ferris Wheel
BESSIE HARVEY  Iela
LANIER MEADERS  Devil Face Jug
GREGORY WARMACK  Self-Portrait as a King
ARLISS WATFORD  M. L. King
Jim Harley Flicker
Jim Harley Red-Headed Woodpecker
Jim Harley Pileated Woodpecker
Abraham Lincoln Criss  Donkey
Jim Harley Sandpiper
TOM HARTE  Untitled (Orange Teakettle)
Theresa Pollak's Red Shoes (#14) - Tom Harte
Ted Gordon
Ted Gordon
Mr. Coke #12,424 Howard Finster