Willie White was born in Cranfield, Mississippi in 1908. After working in the fields of Mississippi and several odd jobs, made his way to New Orleans where he spent the remainder of his life.

Inspired by the many artists working in the French Quarter, White began making images with ordinary house paint in 1960, but soon began working with colored felt tip markers on board. He said he was “inspired by God and movies of faraway places,” particularly science fiction and current events on television.

The work in this exhibition is based on several of his well-known motifs: animals that walk and fly, prehistoric creatures, the cross, nature and bold crosshatched abstract patterns. The two figurative works are self-portraits and are thought to be the only ones he ever created.

Like many self-taught artists, his stature has grown exponentially since his death in a New Orleans nursing home in December of 2000. These works are on loan from the New Orleans collectors artist Robert Tannen and his wife Jean Nathan. As long-time supporters of Willie White, these works were purchased over a period of several years directly from the artist himself. This exhibition presents them to the public for the first time, expanding our understanding of his unique visionary approach to art.