Robert Davidson, K'a.ads Nee St'ung
Robert Davidson
1946-
Haida
Alternative Name
Guud Sans Glans (Eagle Of The Dawn)
Date
1990
Medium Specific
Silkscreen
Classification
Print
Dimensions
19 3/4 x 9 1/4 in. (50.2 x 23.5 cm.)
Accession Number
2023.35.20.08
Credit
Gift of Gloria and Selig Kaplan
Memo / Artist Statement
Gift from Davidson Family at Claude Davidson Memorial Potlatch held at Masset, Haida Gwaii on 10/12/1991.
Biography
For more than fifty years now, Robert Davidson has worked as an artist and has produced an internationally acclaimed body of work.
Davidson was born November 4, 1946 to a particularly notable family of artists. His great grandfather was the famed Haida artist, Charles Edenshaw (1839-1924) whose superb artworks were well known in the Haida community. His father, Claude Davidson and grandfather, Robert Davidson Sr. were also respected carvers. Robert began carving at the age of 13 when his father insisted he carry on the family artistic tradition.
In 1965, Robert moved to Vancouver which allowed him to learn more about the arts of the Haida Nation, through visits to the Vancouver Museum to see stunning artworks collected from Haida Gwaii. In 1966, while demonstrating his carving work at Eaton’s in Vancouver, Davidson met the late Bill Reid, who then coached him on sculpture and design for the next eighteen months. Through Reid, he met anthropologist Wilson Duff and artist Bill Holm, and continued to learn about the Haida art. In 1967, he enrolled in the Vancouver School of Art, a place he credits for developing his drawing.
He has received many honours for his accomplishments, including: an Inspire Award in art and culture, an Order of British Columbia; an Order of Canada, the Governor General’s Award for Visual Arts, the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement Award in the Visual Arts, and numerous honourary degrees from universities in Canada and the US.
He is a leading figure in the renaissance of Haida art and culture and is a founding member of the Rainbow Creek Dancers with his brother and fellow artist, Reg Davidson. He is also one of the founding members of the Haida Gwaii Singers Society, started by Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson.
(https://www.robertdavidson.ca/biography, 2020)
Davidson was born November 4, 1946 to a particularly notable family of artists. His great grandfather was the famed Haida artist, Charles Edenshaw (1839-1924) whose superb artworks were well known in the Haida community. His father, Claude Davidson and grandfather, Robert Davidson Sr. were also respected carvers. Robert began carving at the age of 13 when his father insisted he carry on the family artistic tradition.
In 1965, Robert moved to Vancouver which allowed him to learn more about the arts of the Haida Nation, through visits to the Vancouver Museum to see stunning artworks collected from Haida Gwaii. In 1966, while demonstrating his carving work at Eaton’s in Vancouver, Davidson met the late Bill Reid, who then coached him on sculpture and design for the next eighteen months. Through Reid, he met anthropologist Wilson Duff and artist Bill Holm, and continued to learn about the Haida art. In 1967, he enrolled in the Vancouver School of Art, a place he credits for developing his drawing.
He has received many honours for his accomplishments, including: an Inspire Award in art and culture, an Order of British Columbia; an Order of Canada, the Governor General’s Award for Visual Arts, the Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement Award in the Visual Arts, and numerous honourary degrees from universities in Canada and the US.
He is a leading figure in the renaissance of Haida art and culture and is a founding member of the Rainbow Creek Dancers with his brother and fellow artist, Reg Davidson. He is also one of the founding members of the Haida Gwaii Singers Society, started by Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson.
(https://www.robertdavidson.ca/biography, 2020)