"The Throne" Hoodie

Inspired by artist James Hampton, who built his “Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations' Millennium General Assembly” in Washington, D.C. from 1950 until his death in 1964, while working as a janitor at the GSA. Hampton built the sculpture from found objects, cardboard, foil, and anything shiny he found while sweeping the floors. When he died, his landlord discovered the enormous sculpture in his garage, along with a handwritten book called “St. James: The Book of the 7th Dispensation” written in a yet-to-be-deciphered script. His friends and family didn’t know he was building it and as his family didn’t want it, the landlord placed a classified ad in the local paper. The ad was seen by artist Ed Kelly, who immediately arrived with Robert Rauschenberg, as well as art dealers and curators Alice Denney, Leo Castelli, and Ivan Karp. They contacted the Smithsonian, who purchased it for the price of the unpaid rent, and it has been on display there ever since. An astounding work of outsider art and an important piece in the history of American religious art.

“The Throne” was designed by me and Jake Rusnak, drawing and type by Jake, printed by Deetch on fleece factory hoodies. Modelled by Evan.