Collect: American Art

Note

Kermit Oliver is most well-known for his work with the legendary Parisian fashion house Hermés. In 1980, he was commissioned by the fashion giant to create an original scarf design inspired by the American Southwest. The scarf was a resounding success, prompting Oliver to create an additional 16 scarf designs. To date, he remains the only American artist to have designed scarves for Hermés.

The son of a Texas cowboy, Kermit Oliver spent his childhood riding horses and learning to tend to various farmyard animals. These early childhood experiences combined with his interest in mythology and religion inform the subject matter of his paintings. Described as “strange, lushly illustrated worlds populated by people and animals realistically drawn but placed in surreal juxtaposition" by the Joe Holley of the Houston Chronicle, we see a prime example of his style in Untitled (Beach Menagerie). A child wrapped in a towel stands by the sea surrounded by ducks, a goat, and a cow. The inclusion of farmyard animals along the seashore evoke childhood innocence and imagination at play.