Born in Sumter, South Carolina in 1911 Inez Walker is
famous for her striking images of women. She started to draw
in prison to protect herself she said "from all those bad
girls" with her in the correction facility. Inez served time
for the criminally negligent homicide of a male acquaintance
who had abused her. She concentrated on her subjects eyes,
hairstyles and clothing. dressed in bright frocks, chatting
together or posed alone, they stand or sit stiffly, often in
front of geometrically patterned backgrounds that perhaps
represent wallpaper or perhaps are simply intended as
geometric abstractions. Many of her images show only heads
and shoulders. When the figures are shown full length they
stand on tiny delicate feet, their bodies are usually
foreshortened and their skin tones range in color from
bright red to dull brown. Although an occasional male might
make an appearance in her work, her portraits of women have
earned Walker the reputation as one of the most important
black artists of the century. Her drawings are in the
Collection de l'Art Brut in Lausanne, Switzerland, the
L'Arcanie, Neuilly-sur-Marne, near Paris as well as in a
number of museums in this country such as the Museum of
American Folk Art and the Museum of International Folk Art.
Since the early 80's Inez has been included in almost every
major folk art book and catalog that includes the work of
black folk artists. Inez Walker died in 1990.
Flower Child $1,600 14 x 17 (image size) framed colored pencil and crayon on paper Man with Checkered Shirt $1,200 9 x 11 (image size) framed colored pencil on back of typed prison chart, created
while Walker was in prison, this was one of the first 100
drawings she did.
