Bernice Sims (Alabama/Louisiana, 1926-2014) very large acrylic on canvas outsider art painting depicting a nightime tent revival scene with African American figures circled around a central figure at a pulpit all gathered under a striped red tent under a starry sky. Signed "B. Sims" lower right. Unframed. 58 1/2" H x 72 1/2" W. Biography: Bernice Sims was born in rural Alabama in 1926 and resided there her entire life. It was not until she decided to enroll in community college, after raising six children, that she was encouraged by a professor to explore her artistic talent and turned to painting. Her works are characterized by bright colors, renderings of childhood memories, and, as she grew older, focused on the social and racial injustice amidst the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's. In 2005, her work depicting the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL, was issued on a postage stamp to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act.

PROVENANCE: The Collection of Jay Justice, South Carolina.

CONDITION: Overall very good condition.