Awa Tsireh: Pueblo Painter and Metalsmith (2017)

"Alfonso Roybal, better known as Awa Tsireh (meaning Cat Tail Bird in the Tewa language), was born in the small pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico, in 1898. He became arguably the finest Native American painter of the first half of the 20th century. He was written about at length, and his watercolors were shown in museums and galleries across the country, often with the assistance of distinguished patrons. To date, the authors have documented more than four hundred of Awa Tsireh's paintings in numerous private collections and more than thirty museums. Awa Tsireh's metalwork in silver, copper, and aluminum is a completely different story. This book brings together more of his metalwork than has previously been shown in one setting. Awa Tsireh created jewelry, platters, and other serviceware at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post in Manitou Springs, Colorado, where he worked with other Native silversmiths, many to date unidentified, in the summer months during the 1930s and 1940s. Rarely has Awa Tsireh's metalwork bought by Trading Post visitors made its way into museum collections. Awa Tsireh's recognizable and charming imagery and the quality of his hand and imagination, however, illuminate all of his pieces. His metalwork is further evidence that the Pueblo artist's talent transcended medium, material, and milieu."--Verso of cover (front flap).… (more)