Leroy Almon

1938-1997

Leroy Almon, Sr. was born in the southern U.S. city of Tallapoosa, Georgia. In the 1970s, he moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he worked as a salesman and marketing supervisor for the Coca-Cola Company. Towards the end of that decade, Almon first came in contact with the celebrated, self-taught woodcarver, Elijah Pierce, when he heard the artist deliver sermons at the Gay Tabernacle Baptist Church (now the Tabernacle Baptist Church) in Columbus. After losing his Coca-Cola job, Almon persuaded Pierce to take him on as an apprentice at his barber shop and art studio. Collaborating with Pierce on the older artist’s religious works led Almon to make his own art, in which he built on the traditions he had learned from his mentor and masterfully balanced narrative and form. Using vivid colors to paint over chiseled images on softwood, Almon addressed political, social and religious subjects, many of which related to the African American experience in the US. Returning with his family to Tallapoosa in 1982, Almon himself began to preach. He carried on making his brightly colored reliefs, which reflected both contemporary and historical themes. He established a gallery and studio at his home and worked until his death. ¹