Robert Davidson : eagle of the dawn

"Robert Davidson, a Haida artist born in Alaska in 1946, is one of North America's most important contemporary artists of native ancestry. Master carver of masks and totems, print maker, painter, and jeweler, Davidson was an apprentice of renowned Haida artist Bill Reid. Davidson began his career carving in wood and argillite (the soft shale found only in British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands); since that time he has produced an internationally acclaimed body of art, anchored by a series of large totem poles featured in collections around the world." "Among the milestones of Davidson's career are his pole at Massett, British Columbia - the first new pole raised in living memory - and poles in Montreal, Dublin, Japan, the United States, and Germany. His work appears in major North American collections, and he is widely recognized as a leader in the renaissance of Haida art. Ever maturing and innovative, Davidson has expanded the boundaries of Northwest Coast iconography in increasingly complex and unconventional ways." "This volume, the first major book on Davidson's work, provides a comprehensive overview of his sculpture in argillite, bronze, and wood; paintings on both paper and deerskin drums; drawings and sketches for projects; jewelry in silver and gold; and prints. Fifty color plates and sixty photographs illustrate some 110 works. The text includes a biographical essay by Ian M. Thom, an assessment of Davidson's place in Haida art by Aldona Jonaitis, a Haida perspective by Marianne Jones, and extensive comments from Davidson and his peers on the importance and symbolic content of a number of his pieces."--BOOK JACKET.… (more)