Lot 716: Akira Blount Jack in the Box Folk Art Soft Sculpture

Akira Blount (American/Tennessee, 1945-2013) folk art soft sculpture jack in the box titled “Masked Jester.” Constructed of mixed media elements including fabric, paint, papier mache, wood, and metal. Signed and dated 1994 on the base. 6 1/2 in. H x 5 1/2 in. square. Biographical note: Akira Blount was born in 1945 and grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. She continued her education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Art Education. She started making dolls from cotton stockings in 1970, and they quickly evolved into a steady source of income. Over the next nine years, her mastery of needle sculpting evolved into a style well known as her own. In 1979, she moved to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee with her family. Her work has been profiled in over 30 magazines, and her soft sculptures can be found in the Musee des Artes Decorative in Paris; the Musée de Pouppes, Josselin, France; the Sekiguchi Doll Garden, Japan; and the Tennessee State Museum. Exhibitions include the National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC, American Folk Art Museum, NYC, NY, Mint Museum of Fine Art, Charlotte, NC, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA, Tampa Museum of Fine Art, Tampa, FL. The White House Collection of American Craft.

PROVENANCE: The estates of Walter and Dr. Mary Schatz, Nashville. 

CONDITION: Overall very good condition.