The Temptation: Edgar Tolson and the Genesis of Twentieth-Century Folk Art

Why, beginning in the late 1960s, did expressive objects made by
poor people come to be regarded as "twentieth-century folk art,"
increasingly sought after by the middle class and the wealthy?
Julia Ardery explores that question through the life story of
Kentucky woodcarver Edgar Tolson (1904-1984) and the evolving
public reception of his poplar "dolls."
The Temptation presents a vivid chronicle of folk art's
ascendancy in the late twentieth century, enlivened by the voices
and opinions of diverse participants in the folk art scene.
Drawing on in-depth interviews with collectors and dealers,
museum and auction house officials, and Tolson's own family
members and friends, the book traces a twenty-year tug-of-war
over the definition, sale, and interpretation of folk art. Unlike
earlier studies, Ardery's work also links the popularity of folk
art to larger historical forces: the civil rights movement and
the War on Poverty in Appalachia, government and corporate arts
sponsorship, developments in arts education, and an expanded art
market.
Well illustrated and impeccably documented, The
Temptation offers an engaging account of how a generation both
reflected and reinforced its ideals through its fascination with
crayon drawings, quilts, and wooden dolls.