Bill Traylor

Not just one of the most recognized self-taught artists in America, Bill Traylor (1854–1949) is one of the finest artists of the 20th century, period. His drawings on cardboard are characterized by a figurative style in which simple flat shapes in bold colors float against blank backgrounds to convey sharp observations of African-American life in the Jim Crow South. Naturally, the work's instinctive modernity also gives it enormous kid appeal.