biography of Howard FINSTER (1916-2001)

Birth place: De Kalb County, AL

Addresses: Pennville, GA

Profession: Painter

Studied: self-taught

Exhibited: NYC, 1980's.

Work: High Museum of Art, Atlanta, GA; Smithsonian Institution; Georgia Museum of Art; Morris Museum of Art; Milwaukee Art Center/Museum; Paradise Gardens Park & Museum.

Comments: A Baptist preacher and prolific "outsider" artist whose paintings (often on wood or masonite) are inspired by the Bible, ghosts, and visions of extraterrestrial life, and are often inscribed with messages or passages from the Gospel. He created "Paradise Garden" behind his house in Pennville, which now mostly belongs to the High Museum in Atlanta. It features a folk art chapel, mosaic concrete paths, the "Tomb of the Unknown Body," and a giant concrete boot. Finster also created album covers for rock bands.

Sources: Tom Patterson, Howard Finster: Stranger from Another World; Thelma Finster Bradshaw, Howard Finster: The Early Years. A Private Portrait of America's Premier Folk Artist.