Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art

About this Work

This tiny drawing (the first by Tyree Guyton in our collection) has more in common with folk art and graffiti than with fine art. Describing himself as an “urban environmental artist,” Guyton used Heidelberg Street on Detroit’s East Side as his primary medium. In 1986, disheartened by his neighborhood’s economic and aesthetic decline (as well as the loss of three brothers to street violence), Guyton began painting abandoned houses and empty lots with bright colors and cheerful shapes. Although criticized by some as gaudy, his work ultimately had a positive effect on the people in the community. This sketch references a favorite “Faces of God” motif that Guyton incorporates in his street art and studio projects.