James Hampton (artist)
| James Hampton | |
|---|---|
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|
| Born |
April 8, 1909 Elloree, South Carolina |
| Died | November 4, 1964 (aged 55) |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | sacred art |
| Style | outsider art |
James Hampton (April 8, 1909–November 4, 1964) was an African-American janitor who secretly built a large assemblage of religious art from scavenged materials, and is considered an outsider artist.
James Hampton was born in Elloree, South Carolina, in 1909. His father was a gospel singer and a traveling Baptist preacher. In 1928, Hampton left for Washington, DC, to join his elder brother Lee, where they shared an apartment. James Hampton worked as a short-order cook until 1942 when he was drafted into United States Army Air Forces. He served as a carpenter with the noncombatant 385th Aviation Squadron around the Pacific theatre. He was honorably discharged in 1945 and returned to Washington, DC.
In 1946, Hampton became a night janitor with the General Services Administration. His brother Lee died in 1948.
In 1950, he rented a garage in northwest Washington. A month after Hampton's death in 1964, Meyer Wertlieb, owner of the garage, came to find out why the rent had not been paid. He knew that Hampton had been building something in the garage. When he opened the door, he found a room filled with many symmetrical, glittering objects surrounding a central throne. For 14 years, Hampton had been building a throne out of various old materials like aluminum and gold foil, old furniture, various pieces of cardboard, old light bulbs, shards of mirror and old desk blotters. He had pinned it together with tacks, glue, pins and tape.
It is unknown whether Hampton considered himself an artist. Hampton's work would be an example of outsider or naïve art—art made by people who are self-taught, who have not studied art techniques, art history, or art theory.
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