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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

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Powder Plant, Thornton Dial American, Sheet metal, sawdust, commercial paint, and adhesive on canvas on wood
Powder Plant
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Gray and Brass, John Sloan American, Oil on canvas, American
Gray and Brass
John Sloan
1907
Victory in Iraq, Thornton Dial American, Mannequin head, barbed wire, steel, clothing, tin, electrical wire, wheels, stuffed animals, toy cars and figurines, plastic spoons, wood, basket, oil, enamel, spray paint and two-part epoxy putty on canvas on wood
Victory in Iraq
Thornton Dial
2004
Celebration, Thornton Dial American, Graphite, pastel, watercolor, and gouache on paper
Celebration
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Necklace, Meta Overbeck American, Gold, emeralds, Montana sapphires, topazes, enamel, American
Necklace
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