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Artworks
RICHARD SUMNER (1956-) KWAKWA̱KA̱ʼWAKW, VANCOUVER, B.C.
Killer Whale and Eagle Bentwood Box, c. 1990scedar panel, steamed and bent, over cedar boards, and acrylic paint, 10 x 14.25 x 10.5 in (25.4 x 36.2 x 26.7 cm)
signed with artist's initials, "R [J?] S".LOT 1
ESTIMATE: $1,200 — $1,800Further images
Richard Sumner is a Kwakwaka’wakw artist from Alert Bay, BC, best known for his bentwood boxes, although he also creates masks, poles, and headdresses. In 2010 he was the recipient...Richard Sumner is a Kwakwaka’wakw artist from Alert Bay, BC, best known for his bentwood boxes, although he also creates masks, poles, and headdresses. In 2010 he was the recipient of the prestigious BC Achievement Foundation’s First Nations Art Award. [1] Today, his work can be found in the collections of several prominent museums, including the UBC Museum of Anthropology, the Museum of Vancouver, the Royal British Columbia Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
This fine example of a bentwood box features a Killer Whale carved in low relief on the front and a raptor, probably an Eagle, on the back. There is a painted black circle with a modified s-form in red paint on the left side and a painted black ovoid with a modified s-form on the right side.
1. Richard Sumner. BC Achievement Foundation. https://bcachievement.com/awardee/richard-sumner/. Accessed 27 June 2025.
Christopher W. Smith
Provenance
Private Collection, Toronto.1of 68
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