Untitled (Wrestler)
Folk and Self-Taught Art

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Untitled (Wrestler)
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Nellie Mae Rowe
American, 1900–1982
American, 1900–1982
Date
1968–1982
Medium
Crayon, colored pencil, and pencil on paper
Accession #
1993.55
Dimensions
Please contact the Museum for more information.
Location
Currently Not on View
Description
Nellie Mae Rowe was a dedicated fan of the wrestler Claude “Thunderbolt” Patterson and drew him multiple times. She tuned in regularly to watch him triumph in the ring, one of the rare spaces where an African American man was able to physically contend with opponents without fear of retribution. In 1976, for instance, Patterson vanquished the white wrestler, Frank Donald Goodish, a.k.a “Bruiser Brody,” to win the NWA Florida Heavyweight Championship. Patterson fought for fair pay and better working conditions for black athletes, a cause that ultimately damaged his career. Today Patterson lives in Georgia and says that one of the only reasons people seek him out is because Rowe’s drawings have kept his legacy alive.
Credit
Gift of Andy Nasisse for the Nasisse CollectionImage Copyright
© Estate of Nellie Mae Rowe/High Museum of Art, Atlanta.