Figural Urn

With Bill A. Pearson (1920-2002), San Francisco, by February 1961 [1];

Purchased from Pearson by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1961.

NOTES:

[1] Billy Pearson was a San Francisco-based dealer and collector. A former international horse racing jockey, his interest in art began during his convalescence following a serious racing injury, when a friend sent him a book on antique American quilts as a joke. This introduction grew into an interest in American folk art in general and expanded to include pre-Columbian art during a horse racing stint in Mexico. In 1956, Pearson won the television program “The $64,000 Question” by answering art-related questions. This initiation into Hollywood led to friendships with California-based collectors, including director John Huston, who helped finance Pearson’s first art gallery in La Jolla.