Michael Massie

(Inuit-Metis-Scottish, b. 1962)

Gray Tea

, 1996

silver and walrus ivory

signed and dated on base

height 6-3/4 inches x length 7-3/4 inches x width 6 inches

Exhibited:

May 5 - September 4, 2006. Silver and Stone: The Art of Michael Massie. The Provincial Art Gallery, St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Published:

Hickey, Gloria: Silver and Stone: The Art of Michael Massie (2006: 52-53) [copy included]

The crescent shape of the ulu has inspired the design on Michael Massie's silver work for at least the past ten years. It helped to establish his recognizable style of geometric shapes, elegant lines, and a contemporary character for Inuit art. Both boa-tea (1996) and gray tea (1996) are based on ulu forms, although strikingly different...gray tea is irregular, squat, and has a vertical, carved walrus tusk handle. The ulu shape is discernible from above, but from the rear, it is a cubist's adept collision of angles. From the side, the squat silver form sits on [walrus] feet that, according to Massie, take the inspiration from Marvin the Martian, a cartoon character from Bugs Bunny. "Whenever Marvin got zapped all you could see was his feet poking out from under his helmet--that's the Martian look I wanted." (Silver and Stone, 2006: 52)

Light scattered surface scuffs; otherwise good overall condition

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Please email [email protected] for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.

Danica Farnand

Vice President, Head of Department, Native American Art

[email protected]513.666.4935

Ms. Farnand has helmed the Native American Art department since its inception at Cowan's Auctions in 2003, developing it into one of the most respected and successful departments in the category. Throughout her career, Ms. Farnand has sold over $50 million in Native Art, and has created focused and curated auctions for 19th and 20th century Native works, Jewelry, and Modern and Contemporary Native and Indigenous Arts. A distinguished expert in her field, Ms. Farnand is a respected voice in the ongoing dialogue between Native American tribal groups and the collecting community regarding culturally significant objects, serving as a board member of the Authentic Tribal Art Dealers Association (ATADA) since 2019, and spearheading the effort to return a sacred Ahayu:da wooden figure to its rightful home in the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico in 2020. She has also been an appraiser on Antiques Roadshow since 2016. Ms. Farnand holds an M.A. in Anthropology from the University of Cincinnati and a B.A. in Art History from John Carroll University.

Native American Art, Session I

Gray Tea

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