At 98 years, Thaddeus Mosley, a small man by all means, still makes wood art that stands tall and weighs much, according to a report by artnews.com. From his vast, quiet studio in Pittsburgh, Mosley alone lifts and moulds huge cherry and walnut pieces, making them look light and fine. “What would they do?” he asks, of why he has no help.
For more than seven years, Mosley has built a forest of art, earning him local fame in Pittsburgh, where he even met John Coltrane and appeared on Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood. Yet, for a long time, the art world outside his home city did not know his name. No big shows or museum buys for his work.
That all changed when his art was seen at the 2018 Carnegie International. Since then, his fame has grown. New York’s Karma gallery has shown his work, and major museums, like the Whitney, now own his art.
Now, a big show at City Hall Park in New York brings his bronze wood works to a wide view. Titled “Touching the Earth,” the show has huge pieces, like the 15-foot-tall Gate III. Curator Jenée-Daria Strand calls Mosley “a pillar of Black art.”
Mosley, a self-taught artist who once worked at the post office, never draws sketches. He just sees the art in the wood. He does not sand his pieces; he lets the wood speak for itself. He works slow, with the beat of jazz.
Mosley just wants to make more art. “I’m working on the same thing, just trying to make it look a little different,” he said.
- Featured image: Thaddeus Mosley/Jason Schmidt
