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Winfred Rembert (American/Georgia, 1945-2021), "Cuthbert Memory", 1997, carved and hand-tooled leather mounted to board, unsigned, "Adelson Galleries" label with artist, title, date and inventory number "AGB4080" on backing board, 6 1/4 in. x 9 3/4 in., framed, overall 10 5/8 in. x 14 5/8 in. x 1 in.; accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Adelson Galleries. Provenance: Collection of Lillian Rembert; Adelson Galleries, New York, NY; The Anthony and Davida Artis Collection of African-American Fine Art. Note: Winfred Rembert’s deeply personal and visually striking art emerges from his experience growing up in the American South during the Jim Crow era and often celebrates his birthplace of Cuthbert, Georgia. Rembert survived a near-lynching and seven years in the Georgia prison system—experiences that he documented in his memoir, Chasing Me to My Grave, which was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize in 2022. After his release from prison and with encouragement from his wife, Rembert utilized leatherworking techniques that he learned from a fellow prisoner to create autobiographical artwork from cut, tooled and dyed leather. While some of his powerful pieces recall the harsh and tragic elements of his past in the South, Rembert's art also depicts the joyous aspects of Black life in the 1950s— “the strong family and community bonds, the cultural vibrancy, and the many colorful characters that lifted the spirits of those who had little choice but to labor in the region's cotton and peanut fields.” The work offered here, titled “Cuthbert Memory,” portrays those happier times in Cuthbert, as with a few simple, yet expertly rendered, lines and marks Rembert provides a feeling of community, dialogue and nostalgia—a memory and a story now forever captured on leather. Through Rembert’s conscious decision to leave the piece in its natural color, his ease with his craft shines, and his touch is clearly seen and intimately felt. One can viscerally grasp the toiling and hours needed to render and manipulate the leather and imagine the work in progress in the artist’s capable hands. Ref.: “Acquisition: Winfred Rembert.” National Gallery of Art. July 8, 2022. www.nga.gov. Accessed Jan. 29, 2023. “Winfred Rembert.” Adelson Galleries. www.adelsongalleries.com. Accessed Jan. 29, 2023. ***PHONE BIDDING IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS LOT AT NEALAUCTION.COM***