Robert Charles Davidson
Robert Charles Davidson
1946 -
BCSFA OC
Robert Davidson was born in 1946 in Hydaburg, Alaska and raised in Massett, Haida Gwaii. His great grandfather Charles Edenshaw was a renowned turn of the century Haida artist, and, influenced by his father and grandfather who were both respected carvers, Davidson began carving at the age of 13. In 1965 Davidson moved to Vancouver to complete high school at Point Grey Secondary School, and in turned gained knowledge about Haida culture through the Vancouver Museum. He met Bill Reid in 1966, beginning a sculpture and design apprenticeship for 18 months. Through Reid he met anthropologist Wilson Duff and artist and art historian Bill Holm, furthering his cultural education. In 1967 he enrolled at the Vancouver School of Art and a year later, aged 22, he was teaching carving at the Fitanmaax School of Northwest Coast Indian Art in 'Ksan. In 1969 he carved and raised the 40 foot Bear Mother totem pole, the first new pole to be installed in Massett in over 50 years.

In 1993 the Vancouver Art Gallery mounted a major solo exhibition of Davidson's work - Eagle of the Dawn - which traveled to the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec. His 2004 solo exhibition Robert Davidson: The Abstract Edge also toured nationally, opening at the Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver and his 2013 solo exhibition The Abstract Impulse was mounted at the Seattle Art Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian in New York.

Davidson is proficient in many media including wood, gold, silver, argillite, bronze and silkscreen. His work is held in private and public collections worldwide, including the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, the Vancouver Art Gallery, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, Quebec and the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles.

In 1995 he received the National Aboriginal Achievement Award and the Order of British Columbia. The following year he was awarded the Order of Canada, and he is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts. He received both the Governor General's Award for Visual Arts and the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement Award in the Visual Arts in 2010.

He currently lives and works in White Rock, BC and Massett, Haida Gwaii.
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Dogfish by Robert Charles Davidson sold for $145,250
Robert Charles Davidson
Dogfish
51 x 47 1/2 x 23 in 129.5 x 120.6 x 58.4 cm
bronze sculpture
Estimate: $150,000 - $250,000 CDN
Sold for: $145,250 CDN (premium included)
West Coast Modern & Contemporary on Thursday, May 28, 2020
Raven Stealing the Moon by Robert Charles Davidson sold for $79,250
Robert Charles Davidson
Raven Stealing the Moon
47 1/2 x 22 1/4 x 1 1/4 in 120.6 x 56.5 x 3.2 cm
carved and painted wood
Estimate: $15,000 - $25,000 CDN
Sold for: $79,250 CDN (premium included)
First Nations & Inuit Art on Thursday, August 27, 2020
Copper with Eagle Design by Robert Charles Davidson sold for $52,650
Robert Charles Davidson
Copper with Eagle Design
35 x 23 1/2 x 1 in 88.9 x 59.7 x 2.5 cm
hammered and polished copper and paint
Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CDN
Sold for: $52,650 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2011 - 1st Session on Thursday, November 24, 2011
Raven's Tail Mask by Robert Charles Davidson sold for $43,125
Robert Charles Davidson
Raven's Tail Mask
12 x 9 x 7 in 30.5 x 22.9 x 17.8 cm
1992
red cedar, cedar bark, human hair, operculum shell, copper, crow feathers and acrylic paint
Estimate: $40,000 - $45,000 CDN
Sold for: $43,125 CDN (premium included)
September 2006 - 1st Session on Saturday, September 30, 2006
Two Works by Robert Charles Davidson sold for $34,500
Robert Charles Davidson
Two Works
Estimate: $30,000 - $35,000 CDN
Sold for: $34,500 CDN (premium included)
November 2002 on Saturday, November 30, 2002
Moon by Robert Charles Davidson sold for $28,750
Robert Charles Davidson
Moon
40 x 40 in 101.6 x 101.6 cm
limited edition paper mask
Estimate: $20,000 - $25,000 CDN
Sold for: $28,750 CDN (premium included)
May 2008 - 1st session on Saturday, May 31, 2008
Killer Whale by Robert Charles Davidson sold for $23,000
Robert Charles Davidson
Killer Whale
6 1/4 x 1 1/2 in 15.9 x 3.8 cm
sterling silver bracelet
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000 CDN
Sold for: $23,000 CDN (premium included)
Fine Canadian Art Spring 2007 on Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Crab of the Woods by Robert Charles Davidson sold for $22,500
Robert Charles Davidson
Crab of the Woods
15 1/2 x 14 x 10 in 39.4 x 35.6 x 25.4 cm
2000
bronze sculpture
Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000 CDN
Sold for: $22,500 CDN (premium included)
First Nations & Inuit Art on Thursday, August 30, 2018
Mood by Robert Charles Davidson sold for $22,425
Robert Charles Davidson
Mood
1 3/4 x 2 1/2 x 2 in 4.45 x 6.35 x 5.08 cm
1988
unique 22k gold repoussé bracelet
Estimate: $25,000 - $30,000 CDN
Sold for: $22,425 CDN (premium included)
November 2000 Fine Canadian Art on Thursday, November 09, 2000
Dunee by Robert Charles Davidson sold for $15,210
Robert Charles Davidson
Dunee
11 1/2 x 10 1/2 x 7 in 29.2 x 26.7 x 17.8 cm
2002
bronze sculpture on a black stone base with copper inlay
Estimate: $9,000 - $12,000 CDN
Sold for: $15,210 CDN (premium included)
Spring 2009 - 1st Session on Wednesday, June 17, 2009