Robert Charles Davidson LL. D. D.F.A. (born 4 November 1946), is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

artist of

Haida Haida may refer to: Places * Haida, an old name for Nový Bor * Haida Gwaii, meaning "Islands of the People", formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands * Haida Islands, a different archipelago near Bella Bella, British Columbia Ships * , a 1 ...

heritage. Davidson's Haida name is , which means "Eagle of the Dawn". He is a leading figure in the renaissance of Haida art and culture. He lives in

White Rock, British Columbia White Rock is a city in British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It borders Semiahmoo Bay to the south and is surrounded on three sides by Surrey. To the southeast across a footbridge lies the ...

Life and work

Davidson is known internationally as a carver of totem poles and masks, printmaker, painter and jeweller. He lives near Vancouver, working out of a studio on

Semiahmoo First Nation Semiahmoo First Nation ( ) is the band government of the Semiahmoo people, a Coast Salish subgroup. The band's main community and offices are located on the Semiahmoo Indian Reserve which is sandwiched between the boundary of White Rock, Brit ...

land and making annual return visits to

Haida Gwaii Haida Gwaii (; hai, X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay / , literally "Islands of the Haida people") is an archipelago located between off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Hecat ...

. Davidson was born in

Hydaburg, Alaska Hydaburg ( ) (''Higdáa G̱ándlaay'' in Haida language, Haida) is a first-class City (Alaska), city in the Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, Alaska, Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area, in the U.S. state of Alaska. The population was 382 at ...

. His parents are Claude and Vivian Davidson. Through Claude, he is the grandson of the Haida artist and memoirist

Florence Davidson Florence Edenshaw Davidson (1896–1993) was a Canadian First Nations artist from the Haida. She created basketry and button-blankets and was a respected elder in her village of Masset, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia. Early life Florence Edensh ...

. He is a member of the Eagle

moiety Moiety may refer to: Chemistry * Moiety (chemistry), a part or functional group of a molecule ** Moiety conservation, conservation of a subgroup in a chemical species Anthropology * Moiety (kinship), either of two groups into which a society is ...

, Ts'ał'lanas lineage. His younger brother and former apprentice,

Reg Davidson Reg Davidson (born 1954) is an Aboriginal Canadian carver and a member of the Haida band government. He was born in 1954 at the Haida village of Masset on the Queen Charlotte Islands of British Columbia. His parents are Claude and Vivian Davids ...

, is also a Haida carver. In infancy, Robert Davidson moved with his family to the Haida village of

Masset, British Columbia Masset , formerly ''Massett'', is a village in Haida Gwaii in British Columbia, Canada. It is located on Masset Sound on the northern coast of Graham Island, the largest island in the archipelago, and is approximately west of mainland British Col ...

, on Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands). For high school, he moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

to attend

Point Grey Secondary School Point Grey stəywəte:n̓ Secondary School, previously called Point Grey Secondary School, is a public secondary school located in the Kerrisdale and Shaughnessy neighbourhoods of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. History Designed by Fred To ...

in 1965. In 1966 he became apprenticed to the master Haida carver

Bill Reid William Ronald Reid Jr. (12 January 1920 – 13 March 1998) ( Haida) was a Canadian artist whose works include jewelry, sculpture, screen-printing, and paintings. Producing over one thousand original works during his fifty-year career, Reid is ...

. In 1967 he began studies at the

Vancouver School of Art Emily Carr University of Art + Design (abbreviated as ECU) is a public art university located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The university's campus is located within the Great Northern Way Campus in Strathcona. The university is a co-e ...

. In 1969 he carved and raised the first totem pole on Haida Gwaii in approximately ninety years. His works are included in the collections of the

National Gallery of Canada The National Gallery of Canada (french: Musée des beaux-arts du Canada), located in the capital city of Ottawa, Ontario, is Canada's national art museum. The museum's building takes up , with of space used for exhibiting art. It is one of the l ...

, the

Canadian Museum of Civilization The Canadian Museum of History (french: Musée canadien de l’histoire) is a national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. The purpose of the museum is to promote the heritage of C ...

and the

Vancouver Art Gallery The Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) is an art museum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The museum occupies a adjacent to Robson Square in downtown Vancouver, making it the largest art museum in Western Canada by building size. Designed by Franc ...

. His style, which engages with both Haida and

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

art history, has been described as "contemporary-traditional", reflecting an overlap of "community-based and outsider-orientated" artistic projects. A significant solo exhibition of his work, ''Robert Davidson: The Abstract Edge'', was organized by the

Museum of Anthropology This is a list of museums with major collections in ethnography and anthropology. It is sorted by descending number of objects listed. # Canadian Museum of History, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada #: 3.75 million artifacts # Musée du quai Branly, P ...

at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

(UBC) for viewing at the

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

in 2007. From November 2022 until april 2023 the

is presenting an exhibition with the title ''A Line That Bends But Does Not Break'', showcasing a collection of Davidson's graphic work, including paintings from private collections. Robert Davidson was the subject of the documentary ''

Haida Modern ''Haida Modern'' is a 2019 Canadian documentary film about the art and activism of Haida artist Robert Davidson. The film was directed by Charles Wilkinson, filmed, produced and edited by Wilkinson and Tina Schliessler and executive produced b ...

'', which premiered at the

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

in 2019. He also appeared in

Eugene Boyko Eugene Boyko (1923 – March 14, 2003) known to many as "Jeep", was a Canadian filmmaker who worked with the National Film Board of Canada. An early film of his, ''Helicopter Canada'', was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Featu ...

's 1970 short documentary film ''

This Was the Time ''This Was the Time'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Eugene Boyko and released in 1970. Created for the National Film Board of Canada, the film portrays the renaissance of Haida culture through its depiction of a potlatch ceremony ...

'' and Christopher Auchter's 2019 short documentary film ''

Now Is the Time ''Now Is the Time'' is the second studio album by Alanis Morissette, released only in Canada on October 20, 1992. It was her final album for MCA Records Canada. Morissette recorded the album with Leslie Howe, who produced her debut album, '' ...

''.

Awards and recognition

* Honorary

Doctor of Fine Arts Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.) is a doctoral degree in fine arts, may be given as an honorary degree (a degree ''honoris causa'') or an earned professional degree (in the UK). Description Doctoral programmes leading to DFAs are of equivalent level ...

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

, 1992 * Honorary

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

, 1994 *

Order of British Columbia The Order of British Columbia (french: Ordre de la Colombie-Britannique) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor David Lam, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier B ...

, 1995 *

National Aboriginal Achievement Award The Indspire Awards, until 2012 the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, are annual awards presented by Indspire in Canada. The awards are intended to celebrate and encourage excellence in the Aboriginal community. About The awards were fi ...

, now the Indspire Awards, 1995 * Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the ...

, 1996 * Honorary

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...

(D.Litt.),

, 2007 * Aboriginal Art Lifetime Achievement Awards, BC Achievement Foundation, 2007 * Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts,

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...

, 2010 * Member,

Royal Canadian Academy of Arts The Royal Canadian Academy of Arts (RCA) is a Canadian arts-related organization that was founded in 1880. History 1880 to 1890 The title of Royal Canadian Academy of Arts was received from Queen Victoria on 16 July 1880. The Governor General ...

* The

Audain Prize for Lifetime Achievement in the Visual Arts The Audain Prize for the Visual Arts (Audain Prize) is an annual award that recognizes a distinguished Canadian artist. Worth $100,000, it is one of Canada's most significant honours for the arts. The prize is supported by the Audain Foundation and ...

, 2010

Notes

Sources

* Blackman, Margaret B. (1982; rev. ed., 1992) ''During My Time: Florence Edenshaw Davidson, a Haida Woman.'' Seattle: University of Washington Press. * Jensen, Doreen, and Polly Sargent (1986) ''Robes of Power: Totem Poles on Cloth.'' Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. * Macnair, Peter L., Alan L. Hoover, and Kevin Neary (1984) ''The Legacy: Tradition and Innovation in Northwest Coast Indian Art.'' Vancouver, B.C.: Douglas & McIntyre. * Stewart, Hilary (1993). ''Looking at Totem Poles.'' Seattle: University of Washington Press. . * Robert Davidson lands lifetime achievement award By Alex Browne, Arts Reporter, ''Peace Arch News'', 12 June 2007 * Rhyne, Charles, Robert Davidson, and Susan Fillin-Yeh (1998) ''Expanding the Circle: The Art of Guud San Glans, Robert Davidson.'' Portland, Ore: Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, Reed College.

External links

Robert Davidson official websiteDouglas Reynolds Gallery (Vancouver, Canada)Spirit Wrestler Gallery (Vancouver, Canada)

Kinsman Robinson GalleriesRobert Charles Davidson
at

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davidson, Robert 1946 births Living people 20th-century First Nations sculptors Canadian male sculptors 20th-century Canadian male artists 21st-century First Nations people Alaska Native people First Nations painters Governor General's Award in Visual and Media Arts winners Haida woodcarvers Indspire Awards Members of the Order of British Columbia Officers of the Order of Canada Members of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts Northwest Coast art Totem pole carvers People from White Rock, British Columbia