Allan Houser, Chiricahua Apache, Native Indian, 1914-1994. New Mexico, California, Minnesota, Oklahoma. Indian figure sculpture, monumental, bronze, mural. Similar artists: Frederic Sackrider Remington, Larry Yazzie, Cliff Fragua, Doug Hyde, Fritz Scholder, Helen Hardin, Maxine Noel. Influences: Henry Moore, Barbara Hempworth, Constantin Brâncuși, Jean Arp, Isamu Noguchi.  

“Respite” is incised signed, dated, and editioned 18/20 on the back. H 10 x W 9.5 x D 8.5 in.    

Houser presented a unique style through his sculpted depictions of Native Indian figures. Early formal art training available for modern American Indian artists in Santa Fe advocated flat, pictorial style in tempera that would not diverge from tradition. The artist developed his own voice in the modern art world. Houser was self taught in the medium of sculpture, which actually brought him great fame. Houser is the patriarch of American Indian sculpture and an artist who helped to define contemporary indigenous art through teaching a “staggering amount” of students. His work was world-renowned, and he exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Golden Gate International Exposition, and the New York World’s Fair. After he retired his vision as a figurative sculptor was fully realized. "Respite" is a strong example of Houser’s later style, for which he is best known for. His work is characterized by Native Indian subjects shown through the lens of Western modernist style that is simplified, sleek and timeless. The figure is seated, transformed into a strong mass of form. In addition, the sculpture is attached to a marble base that swivels. As it encapsulates Houser’s characteristic style, the sculpture is a testament to his role in redefining the way that art created by Indigenous citizens is made, viewed, and understood.    Keywords: modernist, geometric, abstract, figural, Native American