In My Father’s House Are Many Mansions, #4,392
Folk and Self-Taught Art

In My Father’s House Are Many Mansions, #4,392
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Howard Finster
American, 1916–2001
American, 1916–2001
Date
1985
Medium
Plexiglas, plastic, beads, plastic toys, and sequins
Accession #
1997.72
Dimensions
18 x 14 5/8 x 9 inches
Location
On View - Stent Family Wing, Skyway, Gallery 407
Description
Finster considered this crystalline work the most beautiful thing he had ever crafted. Encompassing the artist’s view of Heaven, it is replete with silver and punctuated with brilliant hues. Mirrors from top to bottom multiply the spaces held within. Underneath the roof, which is crowned with plastic jewels, dwells a motley group: warriors, hippos, jaguars, kangaroos, and an elephant with tiny pink ears. Angels swoop through clouds with painted faces, and in their midst is a minuscule Nativity. An iconic Finster sign reads, “Heaven is worth it all / Meet me there.”