Thornton Dial, Sr.
Roosevelt: A Handicapped Man Got the Cities to Move

Roosevelt:  A Handicapped Man Got the Cities to Move

© Estate of Thornton Dial / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Roosevelt: A Handicapped Man Got the Cities to Move
Roosevelt:  A Handicapped Man Got the Cities to Move
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Roosevelt: A Handicapped Man Got the Cities to Move
Date1992
PlaceUnited States
MediumEnamel and mixed media on wood
Dimensions84 × 136 × 6 in. (213.4 × 345.4 × 15.2 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment Fund
Object number2003.693
Current Location
The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building
Atrium Floor 2
Exposé

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Object Type
Description

Born on a cotton plantation, Thornton Dial,
Sr. spent much of his adult life as a welder for Pullman Standard Company in
Bessemer, Alabama. In his spare time, he began assembling
densely layered sculptures and reliefs, made up of
found materials, which recounted aspects of daily life and historical events.
In 1987 he met the artist Lonnie Holley, who in turn introduced him to
collectors and curators who helped support Dial and promoted his work to a
larger public.



 



In
1990 Dial
moved to McCalla, Alabama, where he set
up a formal studio for the first time in his career. The paintings that
followed were monumental reflections on important episodes in American history,
including Roosevelt: A Handicapped Man
Got the Cities to Move
, a tribute to Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal
policies that created opportunities for workers migrating from the rural south
to the urban north. Combining paint, vigorous drawing, and found materials,
Dial created a dynamic panorama dominated by a man and a woman. The black and
white creature that stretches across the composition is a tiger, a symbol
adopted by Dial to represent African Americans’ struggle for freedom.




ProvenanceThe artist; William S. Arnett [1939-2020], Atlanta; Tinwood Alliance, Atlanta; purchased by the MFAH, 2003.
Exhibition History"African-American Art in the Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston", The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, February 22, 2004 - May 9, 2004.

"Houston Collects: African American Art," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Upper Brown Pavilion, July 31-October 26, 2008.

"Statements: African American Art from the Museum's Collection," The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Millennium Gallery, January 24–September 25, 2016.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

Lost Farm (Billy Goat Hill)
Thornton Dial, Sr.
2000–2002
Mixed media
2002.3249
Freedom
Thornton Dial, Sr.
2000–2002
Mixed media
2002.3250
Cotton Field Sky Still Over Our Head
Thornton Dial, Sr.
2000–2002
Mixed media
2002.3251
God's Womb
Thornton Dial, Sr.
1988
Enamel and industrial sealing compound on wood
2003.696
Learning to Roll
Thornton Dial, Sr.
1998
Enamel and spray enamel on canvas
2003.698
I Am Coming In
Thornton Dial, Sr.
1993
Enamel and spray paint on canvas
2003.697
Museum
Thornton Dial, Sr.
1998
Paper, found textiles, found objects, Plexiglas, and paint over metal and wood armature
2003.695
The Man That Left Home Walking and Came Back Riding
Thornton Dial, Sr.
1994
Steel frame, textiles including cotton and nylon hose, latex rubber gloves, leather, string, brass zipper, polyester resin putty, and latex house paint
2003.694
Liberty
Thornton Dial, Sr.
1999
Ink wash and graphite on paper
2003.699
Untitled
Kojo Griffin
2000
Mixed media on wood panel
2000.559
Still
Robert Longo
1984
Mixed media: acrylic and silkscreen on wood; charcoal and graphite on dyed paper; oil and copper leaf on carved oak; granite and metal; oil on hammered lead
2007.612.A-.E
Untitled
Purvis Young
c. 1988
Mixed media on wood
2019.592