Harold Finster's Paradise Garden at the High Museum of Art

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Ernest O. Britton

GEORGIA--- Although many people became familiar with the Reverend Howard Finster through his 40,000 late-20th century paintings, the centerpiece of his work was Paradise Garden. This outdoor museum was built to celebrate all the inventions of mankind, but dedicated to the glory of God. His oeuvre is best considered as an installation and performance piece, of which the paintings are the extant artifacts. Thanks to my niece Tambra Smoot, I found out that Atlanta's High Museum is the repository for a huge portion of the Finster collection.