Pacific Northwest Tlingit Whale House Rain Wall from Donald Judd Estate, c. 1968

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About the Item

Pacific Northwest Tlingit whale house rain wall from Donald Judd Estate c. 1968 A monumental polychrome and carved cedar eleven panel Tlingit Whale House Rain Wall (Raven clan, Chilkat tribe) produced by Northwest Coast Tlingit artist Chief Don Lelooska Smith in the traditional Kwakiutl-style for modern artist Donald Judd. The entire screen is a masterful composition and one by which to measure other Northwest Coast screens. Filling the top and side borders are a series of thirteen figures, nine of them with limbs placed in a traditional stance with elbows close to the knees (typical in Northwest Coast tribal paintings.) The figures represent the rain drops from which the screen takes its name. The central figure represents a Raven whose body cavity contains the oval form which encompasses the screen opening. The Raven embodies the Northwest tribal myths as the creator of the world. A near-exact replica of the world famous Raven clan 'Whale House' Rain Wall, Klukwan, Alaska c. 1800's, this piece along with a pair of totems and a feast bowl celebrating Raven clan myth and legend and were commissioned as exact replicas by Donald Judd after meeting Lelooska around the time of the 1968 'New York 13' art exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The piece was featured prominently in Judd's 101 Spring Street, New York apartment bedroom/family room, then moved to Marfa, Texas when he relocated there, where it was displayed until Judd's death in 1994. The pieces reappeared in 2006 at a Christie's House sale - with little fanfare, and no provenance - where it was purchased by Minneapolis art dealer, visionary Gordon Locksley - one of Judd's early art dealers - who recognized the piece from his 1970's visits to the Spring Street apartment. The Rain Wall remained in Locksley's oceanfront penthouse (lent to two museum exhibitions) on Fort Lauderdale beach until his death in 2014, and thereby descent is being offered here. This piece has been considered missing for many years. Northwest Coast painting is a highly organized and conservative tradition that employs a relatively narrow range of formal elements, but often combines them in very imaginative or myth-based ways. Provenance: Chief Don Lelooska Smith 1968, Donald Judd 1968-1994, Christie's sale 1755, 9/6/06, Lot 477 Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2006-2007 Museum of Art Fort Lauderdale, 'With You I Want To Live', 2009 Property of a Gentleman, Fort Lauderdale, FL Literature: Art of the Northwest Coast, Jonaitis Northwest Coast Indian Painting, Malin Donald Judd, Spaces, Judd Foundation The Juneau Empire, 'The Whale House and its art: A history' Anchorage Daily News, 'Battle over a Birthright' Borderline Research, Adam Douglas Swinton Welch PhD, University of Toronto Art Daily, 2009 Miami Art Guide, 2009 Palm Beach Arts Paper, 2009 This item(s) must be professionally crated and moved. Location: secured storage NYC (Long Island City).

Dimensions:
Height: 108 in (274.32 cm)Width: 192 in (487.68 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
Style:
Native American (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Cedar,Paint
Place of Origin:
Canada
Period:
1960-1969
Date of Manufacture:
1968
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. contact us for a detailed condition report.
Seller Location:
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU885022491012

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