The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of May 13, 2024
The Home Funeral
1990
(American, b. 1950)
Image: 37.7 x 48.2 cm (14 13/16 x 19 in.); Paper: 40.1 x 50.6 cm (15 13/16 x 19 15/16 in.); Matted: 55.9 x 71.1 cm (22 x 28 in.)
Location: not on view
Description
A native of eastern Kentucky, Shelby Lee Adams has recorded the lives and complex culture of its Appalachian mountain people for nearly 30 years. Returning annually to a community disconnected from mainstream contemporary society, he has developed long-standing relationships and respect for its inhabitants. Acknowledging their poor physical conditions, they nonetheless give of themselves honestly and openly to the photographer. This view of a home funeral depicts the commonly displayed pride, independence, and reverence for the family unit. Adams divides the image in two, illustrating a simultaneous, generational acceptance of life's harsh realities, including death, while embracing life and traditional values.- Cleveland Museum of Art, Tom E Hinson. Catalogue of Photography. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1996. Reproduced: P. 79
- Looking at Children: Photographs from the Permanent Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 20-December 4, 2002).CMA, July 20 - December 4, 2002; "Looking at Children". No catalog.Dallas, Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery, December 4, 1998-January 16, 1999: "Shelby Lee Adams: Appalachian Legacy."CMA, November 20,1996 - February 2, 1997: "Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art."Legacy of Light: Master Photographs from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 24, 1996-February 2, 1997).CMA, April 7-June 4, 1995: "Shelby Lee Adams Photographs: Appalachian Portraits."
- {{cite web|title=The Home Funeral|url=false|author=Shelby Lee Adams|year=1990|access-date=13 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.86