Mose Tolliver was one of the most celebrated African American self-taught artists of the twentieth century, known for his vibrant paintings of birds, animals, flowers, self-portraits, fantasy figures, and expressive scenes drawn from everyday life and imagination. Emerging from rural Alabama and later based in Montgomery, Tolliver transformed discarded materials and household paints into a deeply personal and instantly recognizable visual language.

After a life-altering workplace accident left him permanently disabled, Tolliver began painting as a therapeutic and creative outlet, working from scrap wood, furniture panels, and found surfaces balanced across his lap. Signing his work “Mose T” with his characteristic reversed “S,” he developed a style marked by flattened perspective, bold silhouettes, stylized figures, and emotionally direct compositions that blended humor, sensuality, spirituality, and fantasy.

Initially selling paintings from his yard for only a few dollars, Tolliver rose to national prominence following his inclusion in the landmark exhibition Black Folk Art in America, 1930–1980 at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. His work is now held in major museum collections including the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the American Folk Art Museum, and the High Museum of Art, securing his legacy as one of the defining figures in American folk and outsider art.