Vancouver Art Gallery Receives Significant Gift of Artwork by Guud san glans Robert Davidson
The Vancouver Art Gallery has announced a significant donation of 23 works by celebrated Haida artist Guud san glans Robert Davidson from TELUS President and CEO Darren Entwistle and his family. Davidson, the great-grandson of artist Charles Edenshaw and a protégé of Haida master Bill Reid, is widely recognized for revitalizing Northwest Coast artistic traditions through contemporary interpretation.
Vancouver Art Gallery Receives Significant Gift of Artwork by Guud san glans Robert Davidson
The Vancouver Art Gallery has been exhibiting Davidson’s work from the outset of his career, beginning in 1967 with his inclusion in the groundbreaking survey of Northwest Coast art, Arts of the Raven. Other highlights include a major mid-career survey in 1993, Eagle of the Dawn, and a 2023 exhibition of his graphic works from the 1960s to the present, Guud san glans Robert Davidson: A Line That Bends But Does Not Break.
The gift comprises a dynamic selection of original paintings, masks and two-dimensional works that significantly strengthen the Gallery’s collection with 15 important works from the twenty-first century—a period of notable transformation in Robert Davidson’s practice.
“This gift is deeply meaningful to me. Art has always been our way of recording history and carrying forward the voices of our ancestors. To know that these works will be cared for by the Vancouver Art Gallery is important because it ensures our stories and spirit will continue to live and inspire future generations,” says Guud san glans Robert Davidson.
“What excites me most about this collection is that it encompasses 30 years of my work and showcases my journey into modern abstractions where I began to break formline into its most simple form. The breadth and depth of this group of works depicts the resilience and richness of our culture and the evolution of my own work over the years. I am grateful to the Entwistle family for this generous donation.”
In the early 2000s, Davidson began to move beyond symmetrical compositions, embracing a broader use of colour and form, as seen in Halibut Halibut Halibut (2000) and the painted drum Second Variation on Tri Neg Drum (2001). By the mid-2000s, his work evolved toward abstraction and minimalism, while continuing to draw from the Haida visual language. Works such as Chief of the Underworld (2006) and Sea Anemone (2008) reflect this shift, emphasizing individual figures, larger forms and a two-tone palette.
More recent works, including Whirlpool Kwaa K’iilee (2018) and Whimsical (2018), demonstrate a continuing interest in detailed and figurative expression in a fluid, graphic style. This is further exemplified in Diving Killer Whale (2019), which merges the clarity of formal reductivism with the complexity of Davidson’s evolving aesthetic. Both Diving Killer Whale (2019) and Halibut Halibut Halibut (2000) will be featured in the exhibition We who have known tides, opening November 7, 2025 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
Recommended viewing: Documentary Haida Modern (Knowledge Network)
The first Friday night of the month is free at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
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