Art House members had the distinct pleasure of touring the Knoxville home of Cindy and John Compton in April.  We learned about their curated collection from their art dealer, Bill Lowe of Atlanta, Georgia.

Bill is as passionate as they come, and explained his process of matching homeowners to their art.  He compared buying art to marriage and warned never to buy art purely based on its monetary value. “You shouldn’t marry for money and the same is true for art. It has to be something that you love,” explained Lowe.

Peter Glander of Knox Provisions catered the event. And thanks to our gracious hosts, Art House members sipped some lovely wines too.

Guests lingered to talk one-on-one with Bill and learn about some of the works adorning the walls of the Compton’s home.  He spoke of Southern artists, like Thornton Dial, whose work will be a part of a new exhibition this summer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Arguably the most recognized  self-taught African American artist from the South, Thornton Dial was born to sharecroppers in rural Alabama. He worked for three decades as a metalworker for the Pullman Standard Company, the railroad manufacturer, and then took up various skilled trades—house painting, highway construction, commercial fishing, and pipe fitting—before devoting himself to art full time in 1987.   – Victoria L. Valentine for Culture Type

The exhibition featuring Dial, “History Refused to Die: Highlights from The Souls Grown Deep Foundation Gift” opens on May 22 and runs through September 23. If your summer travels include New York, please be sure to go!  What a treat for Art House members.