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The bidding history list updated on: Friday, March 29, 2024 07:39:25

LOT 404

BCSFA OC
1946 -
Canadian Indigenous

Dance Mask
acrylic on paper mache, operculum shell, human hair and cedar bark
on verso signed, editioned 6/6 and dated 1992
12 x 10 x 7 in, 30.5 x 25.4 x 17.8 cm

Estimate: $40,000 - $60,000 CAD

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PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Vancouver


Robert Davidson is one of Canada’s most respected and contemporary visual artists. Davidson’s oeuvre includes the making of finely crafted masks, some of which are actively used in his dance ceremonies. Robertson’s Haida name is G_uud Sans Glans or Eagle of the Dawn, and this bold mask of a human being includes the eagle motif. Modern clean lines and bold simplification of form characterize Davidson’s modern approach to traditional Haida motifs. This mask is painted with Davidson’s signature red, or Robert Red as it is known among collectors.

Davidson’s passion for reviving Haida cultural expression has involved song, dance and ceremony. He is a founding member of the Haida Gwaii Singers, and also founded the Rainbow Creek Dancers in 1980 with his brother Reg Davidson, to bring back traditional Haida songs and dances. He performs with the troupe, and sees these activities as inseparable from his art. This mask was one of several used in the dance at the opening ceremony at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC, on the arrival of Bill Reid’s masterwork the Black Canoe. The hair is from Davidson’s daughter Sara, and the verso shows teethmarks from its use in performing.


All prices are in Canadian Dollars


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