Pyramid
Eldren M Bailey
American, 1903–1987
Details
Title
Pyramid
Artist/Maker
Eldren M Bailey (American, 1903–1987)
Date
1970s
Medium
Concrete, plastic beads, pennies, jewelry, buttons, wood
Dimensions
11 × 12 3/4 × 12 1/2 inches
Credit
Museum purchase, and gift of the Souls Grown Deep Foundation from the William S. Arnett Collection
Accession #
2017.30
Eldren M. Bailey constructed an outdoor sculpture garden in Southwest Atlanta filled with monumental bleached concrete sculptures that ranged from renderings of political figures to the crucifixion of Christ. Pyramid is a memorial sculpture dedicated to a woman Bailey knew. The pyramidal form—inlaid with stones, costume jewelry, and pennies—functions as a memory jug where the adornments allude to the legacy of the deceased. Bailey’s use of pennies can be traced to the African American tradition of affixing currency to graves, which was believed to bring good fortune.