You need to know about this pioneering artist who made his fame at 60.
This is some of the greatest art in the world of the 21st century.
Jane Fonda
And it asks all of us about genius.
Dr. Alvia Wardlaw
Thornton Dial had been making art his whole life. As a kid in 1930s Alabama, he entertained himself by making toys out of cans and other bits of junk.
Don’t Matter How Raggly The Flag, It Still Got To Tie Us Together, 2003
Thornton worked as a steelworker, and his professional skills fed into his sculptures and assemblages. He was a family man, and much of his work commemorates his wife and children.
And that’s where all the folk used to flock at over there when they were singing. [Singing]
At the age of 60, Thornton was discovered by an enthusiastic collector and his work was catapulted onto the international stage. The media tried to belittle his reputation, but in the end, his monumental legacy reigned.
Memory Of The Ladies That Gave Us The Good Life, 2004
Men On Alert: All Eyes On Iraq, 1990
Beginning of Life in the Yellow Jungle, 2003
