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The Temptation: Edgar Tolson and the Genesis of Twentieth-Century Folk Art
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About The Temptation: Edgar Tolson And The Genesis Of
Why, beginning in the late 1960s, did expressive objects made bypoor people come to be regarded as "twentieth-century folk art,"increasingly sought after by the middle class and the wealthy?Julia Ardery explores that question through the life story ofKentucky woodcarver Edgar Tolson (1904-1984) and the evolvingpublic reception of his poplar "dolls." The Temptation presents a vivid chronicle of folk art'sascendancy in the late twentieth century, enlivened by the voicesand opinions of diverse participants in the folk art scene.Drawing on in-depth interviews with collectors and dealers,museum and auction house officials, and Tolson's own familymembers and friends, the book traces a twenty-year tug-of-warover the definition, sale, and interpretation of folk art. Unlikeearlier studies, Ardery's work also links the popularity of folkart to larger historical forces: the civil rights movement andthe War on Poverty in Appalachia, government and corporate artssponsorship, developments in arts education, and an expanded artmarket. Well illustrated and impeccably documented, TheTemptation offers an engaging account of how a generation bothreflected and reinforced its ideals through its fascination withcrayon drawings, quilts, and wooden dolls.
