Emma Lu Davis (1905–1988; also spelled Emma Lou Davis) was an American sculptor, painter, and anthropologist.

Biography

Early life and education

Davis was born in Indianapolis on November 26, 1905. After graduating from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely follo ...

in 1927, she studied for three years at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.

Career

After leaving school, Davis spent three years as a freelancer working on a variety of commissions. In 1933 she spent six months studying modern techniques and design under

Buckminster Fuller Richard Buckminster Fuller (; July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American architect, systems theorist, writer, designer, inventor, philosopher, and futurist. He styled his name as R. Buckminster Fuller in his writings, publishing more t ...

at the Dymaxion factory in Bridgeport, Connecticut. At the factory, she wrote later that she learned "the principles of good workmanship. I think there are a great many 'artists' but awfully few real craftsmen. Use of tools and neat, fast, strong construction are not taught much in art schools." It was there that she learned how to work with wood, and began experimenting with abstract forms. Her figurative sculptures from the 1930s reflect her interest in the naive art of various folk cultures; for example, "Grotesque Bull" (shown), a terra cotta sculpture which was included in Dorothy Miller's "Americans 1942" exhibition at MoMA. In spring 1935 Davis traveled to Russia to learn how Russian artists were organized and how socialized patronage affected their work. She concluded that Soviet artists failed to innovate because "the cheap academic traditions have been continued under the name of 'socialist realism'—that is, all the facts and none of the meaning of the subject." From 1938 to 1941 Davis was the artist in residence at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. She described this period as "the most profitable and enjoyable three years of my life." In 1939 she was commissioned by the federal Treasury Section of Fine Arts to paint a mural, ''Missouri Livestock'', for the post office in La Plata, Missouri. Two years later she collaborated with Henry Kreis on a series of low-relief granite sculptures depicting the benefits of social security for the overdoor panels of the

Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building (formerly the Social Security Administration Building) is a historic building at 330 Independence Avenue, Southwest, Washington, D.C. History The building was designed by Charles Zeller Klauder and the Office of t ...

in Washington, D.C. After practicing as a commercial artist for thirty years, Davis decided to retrain as an archaeologist. She completed her Ph.D. at UCLA in 1965, writing a dissertation titled ''Anasazi Mobility and Mesa Verde Migrations'' (1964). She worked Science Direction at the

San Diego Museum of Man The Museum of Us (formerly known as the San Diego Museum of Man) is a museum of anthropology located in Balboa Park, San Diego, California and housed in the historic landmark buildings of the California Quadrangle. History The museum traces it ...

, while continuing her desert studies, focusing on the southern California region of

China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake is a United States military facility in California. China Lake may also refer to: Places in the United States *China Lake, Kern County, California, an unincorporated community named for a nearby dry lake *Chi ...

. Prior to her retirement, she established the Great Basin Foundation, which conducted paleo-environmental research. According to Joseph L. Chartkoff, Davis was "one of the most important figures in bringing scientific rigor and credibility to Paleoindian archaeology in California."

Death and legacy

Davis died in San Diego on October 19, 1988. Her artwork is included in the collections of the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

, the

Whitney Museum of American Art The Whitney Museum of American Art, known informally as "The Whitney", is an art museum in the Meatpacking District and West Village neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney (1875–1942), ...

, and other public and private collections.

Selected exhibitions

* Solo exhibition at the Peiping Institute of Fine Arts, Beiping, China, 1937 * Boyer Galleries, New York, 1937 * Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1938 and 1939 *

1939 New York World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchas ...

* ''Americans 1942: 18 Artists from 9 States'', Museum of Modern Art, 1942 * ''Recent Acquisitions: The Work of Young Americans'', Museum of Modern Art, 1943 * ''The Permanent Collection—Women Artists'', Whitney Museum of American Art, 1970 * ''Painting and Sculpture Changes 2011'', Museum of Modern Art, 2011

Selected writings

* * * * * * * *

References

External links

Photo: Emma Lu Davis. ''Chinese Red Army Soldier''. 1936. Walnut. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

Photo: Emma Lu Davis. ''Cock''. 1932. Painted wood with copper on wood base. Whitney Museum of American Art.

Photo: Emma Lu Davis. ''Family Group''. Granite. Department of Health and Human Services, formerly Social Security Building. 1939.

Photo: Emma Lu Davis. ''Missouri Livestock''. 1939. Post office, La Plata, MO.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Emma Lu 1905 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American women artists American women sculptors American women painters American women anthropologists People from Indianapolis Vassar College alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Section of Painting and Sculpture artists 20th-century American anthropologists