News & Events

“Clementine Hunter: A Louisiana Treasure”

Posted on September 25, 2013 at 2:01 PM

Often referred to as the black Grandma Moses, Clementine Hunter was a self-taught African-American folk artist from the Cane River region in Louisiana.  She was born on a plantation said to be the inspiration for Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and worked as a farm hand, never learning to read or write.  She began painting in her fifties, using brushes and paints left by an artist who visited Melrose Plantation, where she lived and worked.  She first sold her paintings for as little as 25 cents.  By the end of her life, her work was being exhibited in museums and sold by dealers for thousands of dollars.  Hunter was granted an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree by Northwestern State University of Louisiana in 1986, one year before her death at the age of 99.