Blocks and stripsMary Lee Bendolph · 2002

  • Creation date2002
  • Dimensions248.0 x 218.0 cm
  • MuseumSouls Grown Deep

Mary Lee Bendolph (1935 –)

Explore the vibrant quilts of Mary Lee Bendolph, a leading artist from Gee's Bend, Alabama. Known for improvisational designs using repurposed fabrics, her work blends tradition, storytelling & abstract art.

Souls Grown Deep (Atlanta, United States of America)

Explore Souls Grown Deep: A Celebration of Black Art from the American South! Discover Gee's Bend quilts, assemblage art & inspiring stories by artists like Thornton Dial & Lonnie Holley.

One of the best known and most revered quiltmakers, Mary Lee Bendolph has spent many decades transforming scraps of old cloth into aesthetic marvels. To create her quilts, she tears worn and discarded clothing into simple strips and blocks of fabric, then assembles them into highly refined geometric abstractions. Her genius resides in her ability to invent a seemingly endless variety of complex compositions and astounding visual effects from a rudimentary vocabulary of shapes. Within this work, somber rectangles of brown wool and blue denim engage in a cubist struggle to subdue a rowdy assortment of brightly colored strips and squares.In the most basic sense, Bendolph’s geometric imagery is an ingenious elaboration on the common practice of strip quilting, a fundamental technique of piecing together bands of cloth that is widespread throughout the South and in many other patchwork traditions. Her gridlike forms also seem to play off the structural framework of the “Housetop

About this artwork

  • Title: Blocks and strips
  • Artist: Mary Lee Bendolph
  • Year: 2002
  • Original dimensions: 248.0 x 218.0 cm
  • Format: Portrait
  • Copyright status: Under copyright
  • Where to see it: Souls Grown Deep
  • Main color: White
  • Perceived brightness: bright

Questions & Answers

Which museum holds the original "Blocks and strips"?

You can see the original "Blocks and strips" at the Souls Grown Deep, Atlanta, United States of America.

What are the format and size of "Blocks and strips"?

"Blocks and strips" by Mary Lee Bendolph is proportioned as a portrait work of 248 x 218 cm.

How big is the original "Blocks and strips"?

The original "Blocks and strips" by Mary Lee Bendolph measures 248 x 218 cm.

Is "Blocks and strips" free of copyright?

Regarding copyright, "Blocks and strips" is still protected by copyright.

When was "Blocks and strips" made?

The creation of "Blocks and strips" by Mary Lee Bendolph is dated 2002.

At what age did Mary Lee Bendolph make "Blocks and strips"?

Mary Lee Bendolph made "Blocks and strips" at the age of 67. The artist was born in 1935 and the work is dated 2002.

Who created "Blocks and strips"?

The artist behind "Blocks and strips" is Mary Lee Bendolph. The work is catalogued under Mary Lee Bendolph's name.

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