Object Image

Subway Preacher

Alison Saar's Subway Preacher was inspired by a homeless man she often encountered on the New York subway. The man carried a Bible and seemed to radiate spiritual energy, although she never heard him speak. The piece also references African sculpture and voodoo shrines. Saar is inspired by African, Haitian, and Creole folk art and spirituality. She believes the salvaged materials she uses to create her work have inherent spiritual energy, which is reinvested and transformed in her sculptures. Their unique histories provide complexity to the meaning of each sculpture.

Purchase: acquired through the generosity of Michael Weaver, M.D., Paul and Bunni Copaken, Larry and Stephanie Jacobson, and the...

1984
Tin, wood, canvas, and mixed media
89.0 x 56.0 x 31.0 in
F93-23 A-L
Text: The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 2023
Image: Alison Saar

Where you'll find this

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Permanent collection

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