christian berstart brut
présente
SearchClose christian berstart brut
MenuClose
portrait of henry speller - © photo: william arnett, 1987, christian berst — art brut
Date 1900 — 1996
Country United States

Henry Speller was born in the settlement of Panther Bum in the Delta country of Central Mississippi. He grew up working on Delta where he often drew pictures during his lunch breaks. In 1939, he left Mississippi for Memphis, Tennessee. Speller moved to a house located a few blocks from Beale Street, the musical heart of Memphis. He was an accomplished blues musician who played guitar with Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters.

The imagery and insistent rhythms of the Delta blues flow through Speller’s work, but his iconography is an explicit commentary of the social, economic, and racial exclusions he observed throughout his life.

Artworks
Please contact us to inquire about the available works.
sans titre - © christian berst — art brut
sans titre, 1985
11.02 x 16.93 in
untitled - © christian berst — art brut
untitled, 1985
23.62 x 17.72 in
sans titre - © christian berst — art brut
sans titre, 1985
10.63 x 11.02 in
untitled - © christian berst — art brut
untitled, 1985
17.72 x 23.62 in
Untitled - © christian berst — art brut
Untitled, 1985
23.62 x 17.72 in
untitled - © christian berst — art brut
untitled, 1985
10.63 x 13.78 in
Catalog
On the wire
Catalogue published to mark the exhibition *On the wire*, christian berst art brut & Jean Brolly galeries, Paris, 2016. - © christian berst — art brut

Preface : Jean-Hubert Martin
Foreword : Christian Berst
Catalog published to mark the exhibition On the wire, from April 9th to May 22nd, 2016.

Exhibitions
Exhibition souls grown deep like the rivers, black artists from the american south with Thornton Dial, Hawkins Bolden, Mary T. Smith, Mose Tolliver and Henry and Georgia Speller
royal academy of arts, london, united kingdom. From March 17 to June 18, 2023.
mirror mirror
Musée du Dr. Guislain & MoMu, Belgium. From October 1, 2022 to February 26, 2023.
Eureka !
Centro de arte Oliva, Portugal. From July 23, 2021 to August 27, 2022.
Sereno variavel
curated by Antonia Gaeta, Centro de Arte Oliva, São João da Madeira. From October 31, 2020 to May 2, 2021.
Sexual Personae
curated by Alison M. Gingeras, Hôtel Drouot, Paris. From October 21 to 29, 2020.
View more
In the flesh
real bodies, at the gallery. From June 14 to July 11, 2020.
Extravaganza
Treger Saint-Silvestre Collection, Centro de Arte Oliva, Portugal. From April 13 to September 15, 2019.
In and out of Africa
Oliva Creative Factory, Portugal. From October 7, 2017 to April 7, 2018.
On The Wire
by Jean-Hubert Martin, at the gallery. From April 9 to May 22, 2016.
Art brut: breaking the boundaries
curator Christian Berst, Oliva Creative Factory, Sao Joao da Madeira, Portugal. From June 1 to September 11, 2014.
american outsiders I
the black south, at the gallery. From June 19 to July 18, 2009.
beyond the boundaries season 2008
discoveries and recent acquisitions, at the gallery. From September 12 to October 11, 2008.
Exhibition view of *in the flesh : veritable bodies*, christian berst art brut, Paris, 2020 - © ©christian berst art brut, christian berst — art brut
exhibition view of *sur le fil*, by jean-hubert martin, christian berst art brut & jean brolly gallery, paris, 2016 - © © jean brolly gallery, christian berst — art brut
Press review
American outsiders - The Black South
Télérama Sortir. July 15, 2009.
La rentrée c'est aussi à la galerie objet trouvé
Le Poignard Subtil. September 6, 2008.
Collections
National Gallery of art
United States
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
United States
Smithsonian Museum Of American Art
United States
collection de l’Art brut
Switzerland
High Museum of Art
United States
View more
Brooklyn Museum
United States
Antoine Frérot collection
France
Treger Saint Silvestre collection
Portugal
American Folk Art Museum
United States
Mississippi Museum of Art
United States
Rockford Art Museum
United States
St. Jame Place Folk Art Museum
United States
Old Capitol Museum of Mississipi History
United States
Minneapolis Institute of Art
United States
The Morgan library & museum
United States
Henry Speller

You are using an outdated browser.
Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.