Howard Finster Vision House

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Howard Finster Vision House

Howard Finster Vision House in Pennville, Ga., opened in fall 2007 after a friend of the folk artist decided to save it.

Howard Finster

David Leonardis, a Chicago gallery owner and longtime friend of folk artist Howard Finster, talks about renovating the Finster house into a museum and gallery inside the museum's gallery at Pennville, Ga.

A display of folk artist Howard Finster's works are shown at the museum. Finster, who died in 2001 at age 84, began his art revolution in the basement, eventually producing 48,000 pieces: Intricate, brightly colored paintings with Bible verses, quirky wooden statues and sculptures made from other people's trash.

One of folk artist Howard Finster's works, featuring various junk items, remains at the closed Paradise Gardens.

A display at the museum includes clothes and a shoe splattered with paint worn by the folk artist who died in 2001.

Leonardis holds a birthday card that he and his friends from Chicago made for Finster years ago.

Howard Finster Vision House is dedicated to the man long considered the grandfather of contemporary folk art. The place where bicycle repairman had his vision from God to paint the Gospel opened this fall as a museum honoring a man considered to be a grandfather of contemporary folk art.

Those who have donated $120 or more to the project get their name written next to the entrance. Chicago fine art dealer David Leonardis bought the house in a foreclosure. Leonardis has bought and sold plenty of Howard Finster art, and purchased the house, hauling 8 tons of garbage out.

Folk artist Howard Finster's World's Folk Art Church is shown in his Paradise Gardens in Pennville, Ga. The church, where he held hundreds of weddings and other events is now nearly beyond repair.

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Howard Finster

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