The Watchful Fox, Chief of the Tribe with Tinselled Buck no. 4,520
2008
Artist
- Kent Monkman, Swampy Cree, Fisher River First Nation, b. 1965
- Born: Ontario
- Work Locations: Toronto, ON
Culture
Swampy Cree | Fisher River First Nation
Country
Canada
Object
painting
Medium
Acrylic paint on canvas
Accession Number
2015.657
Credit Line
Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum
Kent Monkman (Fisher River Cree Nation), The Watchful Fox, Chief of the Tribe with Tinselled Buck no. 4,520, 2008, Acrylic paint on canvas; 30 x 24 in. Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum, 2015.657 © Kent Monkman
Dimensions
height: 30 in, 76.2000 cm; width: 24 in, 60.9600 cm; frame height: 33 in, 83.82 cm; frame width: 26 15/16 in, 68.4213 cm; frame depth: 2 1/4 in, 5.715 cm
Department
Native Arts
Collection
Indigenous Arts of North America
Here Monkman revisits a subject by the painter George Catlin, but added into the background a character of his own invention, “Tinselled Buck”. The primary figure is faithful to the stoic Catlin rendering while the figure in the background is whimsical and flamboyant. The ghost-like image is a reminder of the historical presence of two-spirit, or gender variant, individuals and a recognition of their erasure by both Native and non-Native artists.
Known Provenance
Made by the artist, Toronto, ON, 2008; Purchased directly from the artist by Vicki and Kent Logan, 2015; Gifted to the Denver Art Museum, 2015.
Exhibition History
- "More Than: Expanding Identities of Artists from the American West" - The Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block, October 13, 2022- February 26, 2023
