Ponytail
Date1985
MediumWood, black paint, red paint, glass eyes, beads, and hair of granddaughter
Dimensions14 1/2 × 5 1/4 × 3 3/4 inches (36.8 × 13.3 × 9.5 cm)
Credit LineGift of Arthur Bennett Kouwenhoven, Jr.
Object number2009.12.28
Copyright© Estate of Bessie Harvey.
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Label TextGeorgia-born Bessie Harvey is best known for creating figurative sculpture made from found materials, such as wood, beads, hair, and metal. She started making these objects to support her family, express her hardships, and commune with God, “But even when I began to do the sculptures, to me they were my dolls, they were my freedom from this world, that I could go into them, and I could talk to God, and that the spirit would release me from all of the hurt, and I could hear him speak and talk to me. I could see in the eyes of the dolls I could love, sometimes confusion, but I knew that they were there for the purpose of me sharing what I felt with them.” In these sculptures, Harvey takes the raw materials’ shapes to fashion human-like figures, adding beads for teeth and eyes, sticks as limbs, and her granddaughter’s hair.
Text written for 'Anything Goes: Contemporary Art and Materials' on view October 28, 2022-May 14, 2023.
