Acquired directly from the artist
Kinsman Robinson Galleries, Toronto
Private Collection, Toronto
Robert Davidson descends from a line of carvers that started with the influential Haida Gwaii carver, Charles Edenshaw, his great grandfather. The biggest influence on his work would be the master carver Bill Reid, who Davidson met in 1966 while participating in a demonstration at the Eaton’s department store in Vancouver.
Davidson has utilized a modern medium to portray his subject in “Salmon Trout Head”, signalling a renaissance in the Haida art form of carving. The powder coated aluminum has a luxurious effect on the sculpture and the striking shade of red references the frequent use of red in Indigenous art. Davidson has stylized the head of the salmon/ trout, while still retaining a link to the traditional carving of his forefathers.
