Vintage “The Devil’s Christmas Tree” Folk Art Mixed-Media Assemblage-Tubby Brown (1929–2003)

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A wonderfully eccentric mixed-media folk art assemblage by Rutherford “Tubby” Brown (1929–2003), titled The Devil’s Christmas Tree.

Brown created the … Read more A wonderfully eccentric mixed-media folk art assemblage by Rutherford “Tubby” Brown (1929–2003), titled The Devil’s Christmas Tree.

Brown created the work from painted and assembled materials, centering the composition around a silver tree adorned with references to vices and social ills—including “LSD,” “Crime,” “Hatred,” “Lust,” and others. Red devil figures gather among painted flames below, surrounded by an expressive hand-painted border. Signed “T. Brown” at the lower right and titled along the lower edge.

The imagery is characteristic of Brown’s distinctive combination of humor, religious themes, social commentary, and unconventional found-material construction.

About the Artist:
Rutherford “Tubby” Brown was born in 1929 in Georgia and died in 2003. After graduating from the University of Georgia with a degree in history and serving in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Brown returned home and co-owned his family grocery store for approximately 35 years. Following his retirement, he began making birdhouses before expanding into imaginative folk-art sculptures and assemblages constructed from scrap lumber, tin, and found objects. Devils, angels, Noah’s Ark, and other religious and humorous subjects became recurring themes in his work.

Brown became a recognized figure within American folk art, with his work exhibited by galleries and represented in private collections.

Artist: Rutherford “Tubby” Brown (1929–2003)
Title: The Devil’s Christmas Tree
Medium: Mixed-media assemblage / painted construction
Signature: Signed “T. Brown,” lower right
Origin: Georgia, United States
Style: American Folk Art / Outsider Art
Condition: Vintage condition with surface wear and irregularities consistent with Brown’s handmade construction and use of found materials. See less