Mose "Mose T" Tolliver (1926? - 2006)

Mose Tolliver passed away in October of 2006. See our Tribute To MoseT  

Please scroll down this page to see MPEG movies of Mose T. 

Pieces for sale by Mose T 

Mose Tolliver was one of America's most highly respected self-taught artists. "Mose T" was  born into a sharecropping family in rural Montgomery County, Alabama around 1920. Mose was the youngest of 12 children. After leaving school in the third grade, Mose went to work for a tenant farmer. Mose married and raised eleven children while holding a variety of jobs including painting, plumbing and carpentry until he was injured in the late sixties. While working for McLendon Furniture in Montgomery, a crate of marble fell on him, leaving him unable to walk without the aid of a walker. During a period of depression, Mose was encouraged to take up painting by his former boss.

A turning point in Mose T's life and career came in 1982, when the Corcoran Gallery in Washington D.C. mounted an exhibition of Black American Folk Art. This initial event put Mose T and African-American Folk Art on the map. Mose was hailed as an artistic genius, his  work was compared to Picasso's.    

Mose met many important Washington residents on his trip, not the least of which was the first lady at the time, Nancy Reagan. Mose has often recalled his trip to the White House. He was most impressed by a room he visited in the basement, where he recalls that there were cases of whiskey "stacked to the ceilin' !"  

Mose's subject matter covers a wide range and he  favors single images. He paints on many different surfaces including: cardboard, scraps of wood, Masonite, metal trays and old furniture. He attaches tab openers from aluminum cans to the backs of his paintings as hangers.

Mose T has had exhibitions at the National Gallery of Art, Metropolitan Art Museum, and several other galleries throughout the country. He was part of the seminal Corcoran exhibition of 1982, which launched an interest in and recognition of this important genre of American art.

Mose Tolliver    April 19,2000

Click on the movie images below to see MPEG videos of Mose T

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Videos added on 1/2/2000
Mose on Cats	Mose on gardening
Doctors Advice	Medical Miracle
Puppies	Putting the Cat out
Snap Back !	How far should I walk Doc ?
Videos added on 10/26/99
Mose on Florida	Moset Talks

Videos added on 4/19/2000
Boards	Bumpin	Coke For Water
Fannie Mae	Fannie Mae Tale	Lettuce
Medicine	Stomach Troubles	Paint Fumes

Pieces for sale by Mose T