In the late 1960s, Mose Tolliver’s career as a landscaper ended when a heavy crate of marble crushed his ankle. At the encouragement of his former employer, Tolliver began painting images with house paint directly onto discarded surfaces like furniture and wooden boards. He is now remembered as one of America’s most highly regarded self-taught artists of the late 20th century.
He was born in 1924 into a sharecropping family that lived near Montgomery, Alabama. After he was injured while working for the McLendon Furniture Company, Tolliver taught himself to paint birds, flowers and trees. He later expanded into painting images of people, animals, mythical creatures and religious symbols.
While sitting in his bedroom that doubled as a studio, Tolliver frequently laid his chosen material across his knees while he painted. His canvases consisted of broken furniture pieces, Masonite, old table tops and anything else Tolliver could get his hands on. He initially preferred to use oil-based paint, referring to it as “pure paint,” before moving on to water-based latex house paint.
With his limited materials, Tolliver often only had a few colors from which to choose. Despite these limitations, Tolliver achieved a harmony in his art that complemented his subjects and backgrounds.
Tolliver’s work was recognized by Mitchell Kahan, a former curator at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. At Kahan’s recommendation, the museum held Tolliver’s first solo exhibition in 1981. A man of humble modesty and extreme dedication, Tolliver dismissed any notions of grandeur and once stated to the museum’s advertising team, “I’m not interested in art. I just want to paint my pictures.”
His work was part of the major 1982 exhibition Black Folk Art in America 1930–1980 at the Corcoran Gallery. It is now in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
Tolliver painted consistently until a severe stroke in 2005. He died on October 30, 2006.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of Mose Tolliver’s paintings.
Mose Tolliver Rattlesnake Painting on Wood Panel - Circa 1980's
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Phoenix, AZ
This is a wonderful naive painting on wood panel by the self-taught black artist Mose Tolliver (1920-2000). It’s a great example of Mose’s unique folk-art style. It features the rat...
Wood
Original Painting on Plywood - Alley Cat
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Phoenix, AZ
This is a wonderful naive painting on wood panel by the self-taught black artist Mose Tolliver (1920-2000). It’s a great example of Mose’s unique folk-art style. It features the ratt...
Wood, Paint
Untitled Dragon by Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T (INV# NP3171)
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T Untitled Dragon wood, paint, soda tab approx: 11.5 x 21" date unknown signed
Wood, Acrylic
Untitled Birds by Mose Tolliver AKA Moset
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T Untitled Birds wood, paint, soda tab approx: 14.5 x 19.5" date unknown signed African American Artist
Wood, Acrylic
Untitled Blue Watermelon by Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T (INV# NP3169)
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T Untitled Ble Watermelon wood, paint, soda tab approx: 7.5 x 15.5" date unknown signed
Wood, Acrylic
Sold|$850
H 24 in W 16 in D 0.25 in
Colorful Portrait Painting on Board by Peter Keil w Tiffany Blue Background
By Peter Keil
Located in Hudson, NY
This modern abstract painting by Peter Keil is on a smooth masonite board with a painted Tiffany Blue background, black abstract portrait. Here you ...
Masonite, Acrylic, Board
$1,950
H 25.79 in W 21.26 in D 1.38 in
“So Plant, So Animal” (Animalia, Fuana, Bold Graphic, Abstract, Neutral, Framed)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
Bold yet delicately portrayed, "So Plant, So Animal I" is an abstract piece framed to perfection, offering a timeless neutral color palette. The central theme captures the essence of...
Acrylic, Linen, Wood, India Ink
Makes Matters Worse
By Scott Harbison
Located in Red Bank, NJ
Outsider artist Scott Harbison imagines a world of curious alien beings and wide-eyed mutant animals, naively navigating unknown territory. His mischievous figures are activated by s...
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
$1,950
H 25.79 in W 21.26 in D 1.38 in
“So Plant, So Animal III” (Animalia, Fuana, Bold, Graphic, Abstract, Neutral)
By Nicholas Evans
Located in Paris, IDF
Bold yet delicately portrayed, "So Plant, So Animal III" is an abstract piece framed to perfection, offering a timeless neutral color palette. The central theme captures the essence ...
Linen, Wood, India Ink, Acrylic
Chinese Reverse Painting of a Dog
Located in Palm Beach, FL
Antique Chinese reverse painting on glass of a dog or spaniel painted in a charming naive manner with vibrant colors, slightly oxidized.
Paint
The Fountain of Youth
By Noche Crist 1
Located in Washington, DC
One of a kind painting by Noche Crist (1909-2004). Noche Crist was an American artist born in Romania. Acrylic painting is made with plaster on wood, which gives the painting a wonderful texture and depth. Painting is signed and titled on reverse "The Fountain of Youth...
Plaster, Wood, Acrylic
$1,200
H 24 in W 17.5 in D 0.5 in
Sunshine - Whimsical Animal, Outsider Art Painting, Acrylic on Board
By Scott Harbison
Located in Red Bank, NJ
Outsider artist Scott Harbison imagines a world of curious alien beings and wide-eyed mutant animals, naively navigating unknown territory. His mischievous figures are activated by s...
Oil Crayon, Acrylic, Board
Scenescape From New Holland
By Scott Harbison
Located in Red Bank, NJ
Outsider artist Scott Harbison imagines a world of curious alien beings and wide-eyed mutant animals, naively navigating unknown territory. His mischievous figures are activated by s...
Canvas, Oil Pastel, Acrylic
$800
H 12 in W 12 in D 1 in
The Stalwart Tree Encaustic Painting, Folk Art, Framed
Located in Kingston, WA
A sprawling tree dominates this scene, its intricate branches coiling majestically against a serene backdrop. The textured layers of azure and amber create an organic fusion of colo...
Encaustic, Wood
Victor Joseph Gatto
Located in San Francisco, CA
Victor Joseph Gatto: 1893-1965. Very well listed American primitive artist. He is best known for these whimsical paintings in the jungle. This little gem measures 9 inches high by 6 ...
Oil
Outsider Artist American Modern Animals Colorful Geometric Red Blue
Located in Buffalo, NY
A whimsical modern American painting of animals in a geometric composition. Signed Taylor this wonderful folksy painting comes housed in a re...
Canvas, Oil
$9,500
H 54.5 in W 72 in
The Jungle, Contemporary Acrylic Painting on Canvas by George Rhoads
By George Rhoads
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: George Rhoads, American (1926 - ) Title: The Jungle Year: 1968 Medium: Acrylic on Canvas, signed l.l. Size: 54.5 x 72 in. (138.43 x 182.88 cm)
Canvas, Acrylic
Feeding the Horse a Carrot
By Reginald Wilson
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Reginald Wilson, American (1909-1993) Title: Feeding the Horse a Carrot Year: Circa 1950 Medium: Oil on Canvas, signed l.r. Size: 24 x 36 in. (60.96 x 91.44 cm) Frame Size: 3...
Canvas, Oil
Night Vision in Hollywood LA, 2020
By Claudette Losier
Located in Santa Monica, CA
An abstract nighttime scene of Hollywood, filled with vibrant colors and movement by Claudette Losier.
Wood, Acrylic
$12,500
H 8.25 in W 6.38 in
Richard Scarry Original Art Danny Beaver's Secret 1953
Located in Miami, FL
Legendary children's book author and illustrator Richard Scarry depicts a congenial interaction between Danny the Beaver and the Skunk. The painting was directed at a toddler audien...
Gouache, Illustration Board, Pencil
Untitled
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Saint Louis, MO
Mose Tolliver Untitled Paint on wood panel 11.8 x 23.8 inches (30 x 60.5 cm)
Acrylic, Wood Panel
Sold
H 28.88 in W 4.25 in D 0.25 in
Snake Hanging from Its Tail (vertical format)
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Plano, TX
Blue Snake Hanging from its Tail. c. 1980-1990. 28 7/8 x 4 1/4 x 1/4. House paint on plywood. Signed, upper right., sideways. Original tab hanger. Provenance: The Johnson Center for...
House Paint, Plywood
Purple Bus.
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Plano, TX
Purple Bus with Passengers. c. 1980-1990. House paint on plywood. 21 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 3/8 inches. Signed, lower right. Original tab hanger. Provenance: The Johnson Center for the A...
Plywood, House Paint
Untitled Watermelon by Mose Tolliver AKA Moset
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T Untitled Watermelon wood, paint, soda tab approx: 14 5 x 19.5" date unknown signed
Wood, Acrylic
Sold
H 23 in W 33.25 in
Untitled Spotted Animal by Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T (INV# NP3174)
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T Untitled Spotted Animal wood, paint, soda tab approx: 23 x 33.25 date unknown signed
Wood, Acrylic
Sold
H 31.25 in W 20.25 in
Untitled Gray Lady by Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T (INV# NP3172)
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T Untitled Gray Lady wood, paint, string approx: 31.25 x 20.25" date unknown signed
Wood, Acrylic
Sold
H 24 in W 20.75 in
Untitled Nude by Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T (INV# NP3175)
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Morton Grove, IL
Mose Tolliver AKA Mose T Untitled Naked Woman found wood, paint, soda tab date unknown signed
Wood, Acrylic
Watermelon
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Plano, TX
Mose Tolliver's "Watermelon." House paint on wood. Board measures 11 3/4 x 23 15/16 x 1/4. Approximate date, early to mid-'90s. In the late 1960s, Mose Tolliver was forced to retire...
House Paint
Self-Portrait
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Plano, TX
Self Portrait. 1993. Latex house paint on plywood. 32 x 16 inches. Signed 'Moset' lower left. Exhibited: "Outside In an exhibit of exceptional Outsider Art." Friday, July 5, 201...
Paint
"Watermelon" Iconic, Folk Art, Colorful, Acrylic on Board
By Mose Tolliver
Located in Detroit, MI
"Watermelon" is an iconic painting by the Folk Artist Mose Tolliver. It is charming in its simplicity and vibrant, playful colors. Tolliver was born one of 12 children to sharecroppers, Ike and Laney Tolliver in the Pike Road community, near Montgomery, Alabama. His exact year of birth is unknown, though it is known he was born on the Fourth of July. He attended school only until the third grade due to a self-described lack of interest in education. In the early 1940s he married his childhood friend, Willie Mae Thomas, and had 13 children, 11 of whom survived to adulthood. During the late 1960s, after a severe injury (his legs were crushed when a load of marble shifted and fell from a forklift as he was sweeping in the furniture factory), he turned to painting to combat boredom, pain and long hours of idle time. He would often turn his paintings upside-down and paint the picture of perhaps an animal and landscape positioned from various directions. Tolliver's titles are wildly divergent; e.g., "Smoke Charlies", "Scopper Bugs" or "Jick Jack Suzy Satisfying her own Self". Tolliver signed his work, "Mose T with a backward “s”. He regularly worked with "pure house paint" on plywood creating whimsical and sometimes erotic pictures...
Board, Acrylic
(Green-faced lady in spotted dress)
By Mose Tolliver
Located in New York, NY
House paint on panel board. Green woman in spotted dress. Signed MoseT, dated on reverse 89.5
House Paint
Sold
H 32 in W 19.5 in D 0.5 in
(Man in red pants and blue hat - self portrait by Mose Tolliver )
By Mose Tolliver
Located in New York, NY
House paint on wood 32"x19.5" Self portrait of Mose Tolliver with crutches, wearing blue hat and red pants. Mose Tolliver (1920-2006) , American - Montgo...
House Paint