Lot 208
Jerry W. Coker (American, b. 1938). "Child of Night..." and Untitled. Mixed media: roofing tin and wood masks, n.d. Both signed on verso. "Child" is titled with an inscription on verso. A haunting and expressive pair of found-metal masks by Jerry W. Coker, each formed from weathered roofing tin and punctuated with character and allegory. The larger mask, untitled, presents a solemn visage with a sharply folded nose and small, watching eyes cut through the corroded sheet. The jagged steel mouth gapes below, suggesting a cry caught in silence or a story left unfinished. The smaller mask, possibly titled "Child of Night," is adorned on the reverse with an inscription in the artist's hand: "Child of night, Child of light - your dreams of fancy clothes and city ways will change your way! YES! you can!!!" The face is expressive, its asymmetrical contours and expressive folds recalling both hardship and resilience. Size of larger (untitled): 10" W x 15" H (25.4 cm x 38.1 cm)
Deeply textured with rust and wear, it becomes a portrait of transformation - the desire for reinvention held against the unshakable backdrop of rural memory. Coker, who was raised in the rural South, shaped these masks in tribute to figures from his childhood in Arkansas - neighbors, store patrons, and everyday characters whose faces linger in recollection. His use of scrap tin is not only material choice but metaphor: humble, scarred, enduring. Each mask stands as a vessel of identity, drawing power from the past while gazing squarely into the future.
About the artist: "Jerry Coker was born in Arkansas, but has resided in Florida for most of his life. His collection "Identity Masks" of masks made with rusted roofing tin are modeled after people from his rural childhood who were patrons of his parent's furniture store. His rural background largely influenced his artistic style and he considers himself a "Renaissance Man" with a specialization in folk art. His art is featured in many important collections across the United States, including the Microsoft Corporation collection." (source: artist's page on the Cummer Museum shop website)
Provenance: private Rochester, Minnesota, USA collection, acquired from 1990 -1998
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#192985
- Condition: Both signed on verso. "Child" is titled with an inscription on verso. Masks are in excellent overall condition with patina and age wear consistent with the artist's process. Each has a suspension wire on verso for display.
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