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A silver assemblage in the shape of an elephant's head.
Untitled (#1,165)
A silver assemblage in the shape of an elephant's head.
A silver assemblage in the shape of an elephant's head.
Untitled (#1,165), Butch Anthony, 1998, mixed media, Telfair Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia, © Butch Anthony.

Untitled (#1,165)

Artist (American, born 1966)
Date1998
MediumMetal and wood
Dimensions26 × 31 1/2 × 33 inches (66 × 80 × 83.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. Diane Sinclair Croom.
Object number2001.8.3
On View
Not on view
Copyright© Butch Anthony. The images and text contained on this page are owned by Telfair Museums or used by the Museum with permission from the owners. Unauthorized reproduction, transmission or display of these materials is prohibited with the exception of items deemed “fair use” as defined by U.S. and international copyright laws.Label TextA self-described “artist, picker, and builder of things,” Alabama-based artist Butch Anthony selects materials that many others would throw away. Although never for-mally trained as an artist, Anthony scavenged and collected objects throughout his childhood. He turned to consciously making art after realizing it could economically sustain him. Inspired by a friend who sold a drawing of an anthropomorphic turnip for $50, Anthony began selling his inventive creations as well. This untitled work combines sticks, tin cans, and pressed metal forms to emulate the head of an elephant. The assem-blage is spraypainted silver to cohere the varied materials. A similar technique can be observed nearby in the wall construction by American sculptor Louise Nevelson. Text written for 'Anything Goes: Contemporary Art and Materials' on view October 28, 2022-May 14, 2023.