Bill Reid led the modern renaissance of Northwest Coast art, producing some of the most iconic and well-documented pieces including Raven and the First Man for the UBC Museum of Anthropology, the Killer Whale in front of the Vancouver Aquarium, and the Black and Jade Canoe for the Canadian Embassy in Washington and the Vancouver airport (also featured on the Canadian $20 bank note). The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in Vancouver is dedicated to showcasing his work and legacy as well hosting exhibitions of modern Northwest Coast artists and themes. Reid began as a master jeweller but shifted to monumental commissions with the growing demand and recognition for his personal work and for Northwest Coast art in public spaces internationally.

The Raven with a Broken Beak illustrates the story of Raven playing with a blind halibut fisherman by diving into the water and stealing the bait from his hook. The fisherman finally realizes what is happening and lets the line go slack before suddenly yanking it from the water to snag the Raven’s beak. The fisherman is content to keep the beak, but after hearing Raven’s mournful call all night he relents and tosses it high in the air. Raven, being overly anxious, swoops down but mistimes his approach and the beak becomes stuck permanently to his chin. This drawing is one of ten created as illustrations for the book The Raven Steals the Light by Bill Reid and Robert Bringhurst (published in 1984). Five of the ten drawings, including this one, were also chosen for a portfolio of limited-edition lithographic prints (see Lot 54).

Gary Wyatt

References: See Robert Bringhurst, ed., The Raven Steals The Light: Drawings by Bill Reid, (Vancouver / Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre / Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1988), pp. 21-48 Reid’s description of the work; The suite of Raven drawings from 1982 is discussed in “Beasts, Monsters and Humans” in Robert Bringhurst, ed., Solitary Raven: The Essential Writings of Bill Reid, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2009), pp. 198-203.