Gospel Bike, #1,776
Howard Finster
American, 1916–2001
Details
Title
Gospel Bike, #1,776
Artist/Maker
Howard Finster (American, 1916–2001)
Date
ca. 1980
Medium
Enamel on bicycle
Dimensions
37 x 52 x 26 1/2 inches
Credit
Norfolk Southern Collection of Self-Taught Art
Accession #
1995.174
Location
Currently not on view
After Finster retired his bicycle repair tools and memorialized them in a section of the Garden’s sidewalk, his bicycle lingered as a reminder of the trade Finster practiced before being called to make “sacred art.” Gospel Bike became a rolling sermon—Finster’s perfect vehicle for carrying the Word. Celestial towers, tiny angels, names, and scriptures fill every space, with a portrait of Jesus protecting the seat and a serpent riding on the wheel guard.