ALLAN HOUSER

Book Synopsis: Here is the first major book on the life and work of the dean of Native American sculptors. Born on a small farm in Oklahoma more than seventy years ago, Houser (his Indian name is Ha-o-zous, written as Haozous) is today an internationally celebrated artist. As a gifted interpreter of the changing tribal world he knows so well, he has created a unique sculptural legacy. The direct emotional appeal of his work is universal. It is represented in such diverse collections as those of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Princess Anne of Great Britain, the Duke and Duchess of Bedford, Robert Redford, the Dahlem Museum, West Berlin, and many other individuals, museums, institutions, and corporations in the United States and abroad. Seeing the sophisticated sculptural art of Allan Houser, which ranges in style from almost purely representational genre pieces to totally abstract works in steel, bronze, and stone, it is hard to realize that he was born only a short time after his people were released from twenty-seven years of captivity by the U.S. Government. His father, Sam Haozous, was one of the small band of Apaches captured with Geronimo in 1886. From his father, Houser acquired a deep understanding and appreciation of his tribal heritage—which had been carried into almost all of his work, directly or indirectly. The text of this book skillfully interweaves Houser's life as an artist and his personal background, fully discussing the work in terms of their origins, aesthetic characteristics, and relation to the history of sculpture, while revealing the artist's philosophy and view of the world. The author shows that Houser has always been alert to the directions of his contemporaries, such as Noguchi, Moore and Hepworth, but has been steadfast in finding his own Way. Illustrated are nearly 300 works, 132 of them in full color, as well as many rare and fascinating photographs documenting the story of Allan Houser and his people.