History Refused to Die

Thornton Dial American
2004
Not on view
One of the most revered contemporary self-taught artists, Dial integrated into his work mass-produced objects and organic materials, all infused with rich symbolic resonances. His impressive History Refused to Die incorporates torn and stained clothing, wire, and other common materials as well as okra stalks and roots. The plant serves as a metaphor for the shared history—the "roots"—of people whose personal genealogies tie back to Africa. Widely associated with Southern cuisine, okra is indigenous to Africa and, like many other foodstuffs, came to the Americas via the international slave trade. Its presence in Dial’s sculpture evokes the ecological transplantation that paralleled the forced displacement and enslavement of millions of Africans throughout the New World.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: History Refused to Die
  • Artist: Thornton Dial (American, Emelle, Alabama 1928–2016 McCalla, Alabama)
  • Date: 2004
  • Medium: Okra stalks and roots, clothing, collaged drawings, tin, wire, steel, Masonite, steel chain, enamel, and spray paint
  • Dimensions: 8 ft. 6 in. × 87 in. × 23 in. (259.1 × 221 × 58.4 cm)
  • Classifications: Paintings, Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection, 2014
  • Object Number: 2014.548.1
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Estate of Thornton Dial/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.