Customer Reviews

The Last Folk Hero: A True Story of Race and Art, Power and Profit

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Three years ago, through several seemingly chance events, Andrew Dietz was introduced to an assemblage sculpture of his late mother-in-law, Lenore Gold, in an out-of-the-way art warehouse owned by one of Atlanta's most provocative art dealers. Understanding the details behind the sculpture, how it came to involve his late mother-in-law, and how it came to reside in the warehouse on Atlanta's west side led Andrew down a rabbit hole of discovery. The deeper he went, the stranger the familiar and urbane environment of the art world seemed to become. THE LAST FOLK HERO represents the recounting of the strange tale Mr. Dietz discovered.

So what happens when visionary, yet non-credentialed, black artists from the rural south and their rich, (possibly rightfully so) paranoid white patron are thrown into the crucible of international politics, the national media, the 1996 Olympics, and the rarified high society of art dealers, critics, and tastemakers in Atlanta, Birmingham, Houston, Boston, New York, and Washington DC? The answer seems to be fortunes made and lost, accusations, prevarications, fornications, epithets regarding fornication (both commands and expression of surprise), the creation of art, and the relentless pursuit of truth and beauty. While the magnitude of the quality and influence of the art may still be debated, the debates and arguments are still being engaged in great, sometimes enormous, ways.

Personally, I do not profess fanatic appreciation for the arts. Generally, I like what appeals to my aesthetic senses (visual arts are decorations in my house), and when someone tells me that something is art I tend to use what many in the art world would describe as Philistine sensibilities to judge one way or the other. However, I do appreciate a good story, particularly when it involves themes of power, exploitation, and corruption, and most especially when it involves my hometown of Atlanta and the surrounding culture of the South. Once I started reading this story, I could hardly put it down. Since reading the book, I have scoured the internet looking for resources on Thornton Dial and Lonnie Holley, two of the books main artistic protagonists. I now plan to attend the Gee's Bend Quilters exhibition at the High at the end of March. I can honestly say that the book has opened up a whole new world for me, one that I gave little consideration to in the past.

In the end, THE LAST FOLK HERO compelled me to us ask what art and exploitation really are and to whom the beholden eyes belong that makes the final determination. This is not a story about good versus evil; rather, it's more like ambiguous intentions pitted against ambiguous intentions. Ultimately, we're left to wonder who the real heroes and villains are and if anyone could ever really tell the difference. Mr. Dietz does not attempt to provide any answers. He has left it open for a candid world to decide.

The sculpture of Mr. Diet'z late mother-in-law, an assemblage entitled "Finally Getting Wings Above the 41st Floor" by acclaimed folk artist Lonnie Holley, stands on a pedestal now in Atlanta's High Museum of Art.

A friend gave me an advance copy of this book and told me I wouldn't be able to put it down - he was right! Dietz is a terrific writer and he gives an insightful look behind the scenes of the art world. I am not an art student or collector, but I still found the book absolutely fascinating. Dietz draws compelling portraits of a completely unique cast of characters - and he does so fairly and even-handedly, allowing the reader to draw their own conclusions about the wheelings and dealings. Finally, Dietz is simply a terrific story-teller. He pulls you in with the stories of the incredible struggles that the artists survived in their youth. But Dietz does not neglect the incredible humor is this story: imagine a few white art patrons, some African-American Folk Artisits (including some lovely lady quilters from an isolated small town that they pick up along the way), a camera crew and JANE FONDA, all on a bus tour on the back roads of Alabama! This actually happened, and Dietz tells the story in grand, good-humored fashion.

READ THIS BOOK! You won't be disappointed.

Andrew Dietz brilliantly captures the layers of race relations, exploitation, white liberalism and the dynamics of individual egos. As Lonnie Holly captured in his piece "Mystery of the White in Me" (the artist and a photo of this piece are featured in the book), Dietz's exploration of the line between artist promotion and exploitation demonstrates that nothing is as black and white as it appears.

As a reader that knew little of the history and politics of folk art, it did take me a while to get drawn into the book (I was hampered by the fact that a house guest started reading my first copy and was so drawn in to the story that I let him take it with him), but once I got to the third chapter I could not put it down.

"The Last Folk Hero" is a compelling read on a number of levels. It is a true life tale of the New South, the Art World, movie stars, rural African American folk artists and a maverick art collector careening across the southern states and colliding in Atlanta. The book details well known folk artists and how they came to the forefront of the art scene, as well as Bill Arnett, their collector/promoter/savior/satan. Was he just ahead of his time? Did he recognize the true value in their work? And was he trying to help them ...or himself?

It is an extremely well written book full of insight for a first time author that makes me look forward to his next work. If you enjoy reading about art, folk art, current Southern history, race relations, politics and fast deals: READ THIS BOOK!!! It is "A Man in Full" meets Howard Finster. This book would make a great Robert Altman movie with its full cast of characters. A great read and an important chronicle of the folk art movement in America.

If you have any interest in art, folk art or otherwise, or in the business of art, this is a compelling book. It is strange in its written style but no stranger than the story it tells. Fascinating in almost all respects.

A friend gave me this book and I started to read it just so I could thank her properly... but I was hooked within a chapter. It is a great read with memorable personalities, some history, some art and suspense. For those with an interest in folk art, it is a must read. For those looking for a page-turner, it is a must read.

Andrew Dietz weaves an incredible tale around the phenomena of self-taught folk art, proving again that truth is often stranger than fiction. I usually read books in bits and pieces, but once I entered the world of Bill Arnett and Thornton Dial I couldn't put the book down. Dietz is a great story-teller with incredible material, but he trusts the readers to make their own judgments about the very ambiguous world of folk artists and collectors. Read it and enjoy!

This is a narrative that reads like a thriller. Dietz has taken us behind the scenes of the (folk)art world and with a sharp,witty and engaging writing style has revealed the personalities, motives and spirit that drives the artists, collectors and curators. Good guys, bad guys, victims and innocents, Dietz sets the stage for you to decide who fits where as the principles either wheel and deal, connive and contrive or just try to survive. Well researched and very well written. I hope Dietz has another book in the offering soon.

I just completed The Last Folk Hero by Andrew Dietz. What a wonderful experience. Not only was it a book I couldn't put down once I started, it was also quite educational. This is a book all will enjoy no matter what their experience is with the art world.

It is hard to believe this is his first book. This is an author we will hear more from in the future. Read this book !

What is art?- you really answered this question! Through the many people you probobly interviewed, you probobly learned this too!!! I just absolutly LOVE THIS BOOK AND I RECOMMEND IT TO PEOPLE OF AGES 10 AND UP!!!! You must have worked really, really hard!!! Good Book and Exelent work!!!!