Blocks and Strips

2002

Mary Lee Bendolph

Quiltmaker, American, born 1935

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The rural African American community of Gee’s Bend, Alabama, has been home to generations of quilters who pass on the traditions of their enslaved ancestors while they pursue innovation and self-expression. Among their leaders is Mary Lee Bendolph, an artist with scraps of cloth. She cuts worn and discarded clothing into geometric shapes—blocks and strips—to create vibrant abstract works. In this quilt, turquoise, red, and gold forms jump from a carefully arranged grid of denim and brown wool.

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Artwork overview

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist, Boykin, Alabama; purchased 2002 by William S. Arnett [1939-2020], Atlanta; gift 2006 to Tinwood Alliance, Atlanta; transfer 2010 to the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, Atlanta; acquired 2020 by NGA through a gift/purchase agreement.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2006

  • Mary Lee Bendolph, Gee's Bend Quilts, and Beyond, co-organized by the Austin Museum of Art and Tinwood Alliance, Atlanta; multiple venues, 2006-2010.

2018

  • Outliers and American Vanguard Art, National Gallery of Art, Washington; High Museum of Art, Atlanta; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 2018-2019.

Bibliography

2021

  • Cooper, Harry. "Souls Grown Deep Foundation Acquisition." Art for the Nation no. 63 (Spring/Summer 2021): 11, fig. 10.

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