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 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
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
Amble, Oil Painting
By Jaime Ellsworth
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist Comments
A solitary horse stands prominently against a cream-colored background. Created with multiple layers of oil paint, the artwork boasts a unique texture, reveal...
Oil
Outsider Art, Acrylic Painting: 'Seer'
Located in New York, NY
Scott likes to think of his work as what it might look like if an overly observant 5 year old kid from New Jersey left hieroglyphics for alien life forms to discover. A mixture of ...
Wood, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
Wonder Woman
By Y.m.Lo
Located in East Hampton, NY
Faceless Wonder Woman Female POWER Oil Painting There are more super hero painting Comes ROLLED in a tube Needs framing NY Artist Y.M. Lo oil painting. ...
Oil
Outsider Art, Acrylic Painting: 'Grass Fed'
Located in New York, NY
Scott likes to think of his work as what it might look like if an overly observant 5 year old kid from New Jersey left hieroglyphics for alien life forms to discover. A mixture of ...
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
The Fountain of Youth
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
DANCING BIRD
By Daria Kusto
Located in CÓRDOBA, ES
Acrylic on canvas. Original art by Daria Kusto. Shipped well protected, rolled in a tube, unframed from Spain.
Acrylic
Acrylic Paint, Oil Stick on Canvas: "Floaters"
Located in New York, NY
In 2018, I became a painter. An artist. I am a product of the '70s and I spent my life in the fine state of New Jersey—the most wonderful state of them all. As a result of stuff th...
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
Acrylic Paint, Oil Stick on Wood: "Lice"
Located in New York, NY
In 2018, I became a painter. An artist. I am a product of the '70s and I spent my life in the fine state of New Jersey—the most wonderful state of them all. As a result of stuff th...
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
$1,350
H 24 in W 18 in
Acrylic Paint, Oil Stick on Cradled Panel: "I Picked Up Dinner"
Located in New York, NY
In 2018, I became a painter. An artist. I am a product of the '70s and I spent my life in the fine state of New Jersey—the most wonderful state of them all. As a result of stuff th...
Canvas, Oil Crayon, Acrylic
The Forest King
Located in Kingston, WA
This fine Hare rules a small forest. Swirling with mystery, this creation beckons exploration with its enigmatic imagery. A curious rabbit-like figure, adorned with intricate branch...
Encaustic
$10,000
H 40 in W 40 in
"Palm Springs Golf Course (Sunset)" -- Acrylic Painting by Kristin Moore, 2024
By Kristin Moore
Located in New Orleans, LA
In this new series of paintings, Moore explores themes of wanderlust and memory. From glowing neon signage, to sprawling landscapes and unique architectural elements, this exhibition...
Wood, Acrylic
$8,500
H 72 in W 48 in D 3 in
"Prince of Blue" Abstract Painting 72" x 48" inch by Cameron Michel
Located in Culver City, CA
"Prince of Blue" Abstract Painting 72" x 48" inch by Cameron Michel Michel has been an apprentice to established artists Matthew Barney (NY), Sterling ...
Resin, Wood, Mixed Media, Acrylic
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
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