Flying Elephant
Enamel and tin
Provenance: Ex Elyse Saperstein Collection

(1898-1997) David Butler was born in Good Hope, Louisiana then settled down in Patterson, Saint Mary Parish, Louisiana. David Butler was the eldest of eight children born to a carpenter father and a missionary mother. After leaving school at an early age, Butler cut grass, built roads and labored in the sugar cane fields. During his adult life, he worked in saw mills until an on the job injury occurred forcing him into retirement. Soon after his injury, Butler began making sculptures of vividly painted mermaids, flying elephants and cowboys from snipped discarded roofing tin, inspired by God. He decorated his immediate environment covering his yard and windows with his art.