Lot 682: William Hemmerling (American/Louisiana,

William Hemmerling (American/Louisiana, 1943-2009), "Sweet Olive", acrylic paint on wood cabinet door, signed lower left, 44 in. x 15 3/4 in., unframed.

Note: A talented self-taught artist, Bill Hemmerling was known for his depictions of African American life in the Deep South. Raised in Ponchatoula, Hemmerling worked for many years as a traveling window dresser for Sears & Roebuck throughout Mississippi and Louisiana. In 2005, he was invited to create the prestigious New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival Poster. The most celebrated and coveted of his work is the "Sweet Olive" series. Using unconventional and found materials, Hemmerling painted a beautiful young African American woman that he named Sweet Olive. For this "Sweet Olive" painting, he chose to paint on a cabinet door; in a charmingly naïve fashion, her right arm overlapping the interior molding of the door. After painting for only six years, Hemmerling died of cancer. Hemmerling¹s jazz funeral in June of 2009 included a stop at Café DuMonde in the French Quarter where he claimed to have a spiritual awakening when he was seated next to Jesus Christ.