Thornton (Buck) Dial, Sr. (American/Alabama, b. 1928), "Atlanta Convention, 1988", mixed media constructions (largely painted metal) forming a multi-part installation, building height 54 in., plane length 104 in. Note: Condition "as is". Dial observed part of the political process in the United States in the mixed media installation "Atlanta Convention, 1988." The work is based on the Democratic Convention which nominated Michael Dukakis. Its ambitious size and scope, as well as its bold use of color are hallmarks of Dial's work. Thornton Dial was featured in the 1998 Whitney Biennial exhibition and his works are included in the permanent collections of the High Museum of Art, the Milwaukee Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Reference: Gail Andrews Trechsel, ed. Pictured in My Mind: Contemporary American Self-Taught Art (Birmingham, AL, 1995), pp. 51-52 (repro.), 238, no. 21 Griffin, Amos Moses. Griffin & Hoxie Home Page, October 2007 http://journal.barleyhut.com/the-art-of-thorton-dial/ Note: Alabama born Thornton Dial began to make art full-time after his retirement in the 1980s. Self-taught, he used various found materials to produce works which are both politically and socially critical. After working many years in a variety of jobs including welding and painting, Dial was able to draw from those skills to create "things" using a vast array of media. Dial once remarked, "Art ain't about paint. It ain't about canvas. It's about ideas. Too many people died without ever getting their mind out to the world. I have found how to get my ideas out and I won't stop. I got ten thousand left." Dial expressed many of his views on racial relations through his art.