A painted cement sculpture of a bust of a man with black curly hair, mustache and beard wearing…

Cap Lee #3

Artist Willie L. Tarver (American, 1932 - 2010)

Date1990

MediumPainted cement

Dimensions15 × 16 × 7 1/2 inches (38.1 × 40.6 × 19.1 cm)

Credit LineGift of Basil Hamblin.

Object number1997.13

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Copyright© Estate of Willie L. Tarver. 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 TextWillie Tarver’s unique sculptures and paintings are reactions to life in the South including themes such as religion, slavery, farm life, and the struggles of the working man infused with a personal sense of humor. In this work, Cap Lee #3, Tarver has taken his own physical features to create a hybrid-identity in bust form with American Civil War general Robert E. Lee, who commanded the Confederate Army and surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in 1865. Tarver is a Georgia-born, self-taught artist whose art career started in the 1960s after serving in the Korean War and working 25 years as a refrigerator repairman. A retired welder, Tarver’s work includes whimsical welded metal pieces and concrete sculpture. With his wife, Mae Tarver, also a sculptor, he created a sculptural environment including a castle outside their Wadley, Georgia home. Tarver is also known for his Folk Art Park in Atlanta, commissioned for the 1996 Olympics.

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