Sybil Gibson

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Sybil Gibson
Sybil Gibson.jpg
Born
Sybil Aaron

(1908-02-18)February 18, 1908
Dora, Alabama, United States
DiedJanuary 2, 1995(1995-01-02) (aged 86)
Florida, United States
NationalityAmerican
EducationSelf taught
Known forPainting
MovementOutsider art, Naive

Sybil Gibson (February 18, 1908 – January 2, 1995) was an American painter, she was self taught artist.

Early life and education[]

Born Sybil Aaron in Dora, Alabama, her father was a wealthy coal mine owner and farmer.[1] She was educated at Jacksonville State Teachers College, earning a B.S. in Elementary Education, before going on to become a teacher.[2]

Career[]

For much of her adult life she had no interest in painting, having had her ambitions crushed when a college art teacher told her she had no talent.[3][better source needed] However, on Thanksgiving Day 1963, aged 55, Gibson took to creating her own wrapping paper designs using tempera paint and brown paper grocery bags. This led to a fascination with creating art which lasted until her death.[4][better source needed] Howell Raines wrote in June 1971 that "the paintings are not over-powering, they are truly fragile in the best sense. The colors are very delicate, and while Sybil Gibson's work is figurative, her realism is tempered with a certain dream-like quality."[5] Gibson chose to paint limited subject matter - mainly concentrating on the human form, particularly faces, as well as flowers, birds and small animals[6] Her style is considered 'folk art', and she is regarded as an outsider, or naïve artist.[2]

In May 1971, shortly before the opening of her first art exhibition, at the , Gibson disappeared, leaving drawings strewn about her yard.[7] An eccentric woman, Gibson disappeared several times.[4] Around 300 of her paintings are believed to exist in museums and private collections, although many more have been destroyed after being strewn around outside her home when she disappeared.[4]

Gibson's work has been exhibited in more than fifty one-woman exhibitions.[8] Her work is featured in the collections of the , Alabama; the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Alabama; the Museum of American Folk Art, New York City and the New Orleans Museum of Art in Louisiana.[9]

Personal life and death[]

She married Hugh Gibson in 1929, with whom she raised a daughter. Despite her prosperous upbringing, she spent much of her adult life living in poverty.[7]

In the 1940s she left Alabama and moved to Florida. She eventually moved back to Alabama in the 1970s.[citation needed]

Late in life her daughter arranged for Gibson to return to Florida, where she had an operation to restore her sight. She died in 1995, aged 86.[citation needed]

References[]

  1. ^ Blokhuis-Mulder, Jantje. "Faces are the Mirror to the Soul: The Folk Art of Sybil Gibson". Folkartlife.com. Archived from the original on 2015-12-29. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Sybil Gibson". Ask Art. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  3. ^ "Sybil Gibson - Biography". Mich Barnes - Redkettle Art and Collectibles. Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Sybil Gibson". Marcia Weber Art Objects. Archived from the original on 2007-10-21. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  5. ^ Howell Raines (1971-06-20). "Here she is, Miami Herald, in Birmingham". The Birmingham News. p. E1.
  6. ^ "Sybil Gibson (1908–1995)". Robert Cargo Folk Art Gallery. Archived from the original on 2008-01-28. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Doran, Anne (2018-01-19). "Masterpieces from the Margins: The Outsider Art Fair Triumphs in New York". ARTnews. Archived from the original on 2019-03-22. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
  8. ^ "Sybil Gibson". Ginger Young Gallery. Archived from the original on December 17, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-23.
  9. ^ "Portrait of a Woman by Sybil Gibson - intuitive eye". intuitiveeye.org. Archived from the original on 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
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