Allan Houser: An American Master

by W. Jackson Rushing

Allan Capron Haozous, who would become known to the world as Allan Houser, was born in 1914 near Fort Sill, Oklahoma, the first child born into the community of Chiricahua Apaches following their release after decades of internment by the United States Government. After completing his basic education at the government Indian Schools, he was forced to return home at an early age to assist in the operation of the family farm. Driven by an inner muse, however, he left home in 1932 at the age of twenty to attend the Painting School at the Santa Fe Indian School. Although immersed in Apache tradition, he was fascinated by art from all over the world, and he resisted the Indian School's attempt to force him to work in what the faculty considered the only proper "Native-American style" of flat forms, bright colors, and "Indian" subject matter. He mastered a number of styles ranging from straightforward representation to pure abstraction, and throughout his career he remained alert to developments in the work of his contemporaries. Until his death in 1994 he continued to evolve, to rethink his approach, and to remaster his art. Today, his work, particularly his sculpture, can be seen in a number of collections both in the United States and abroad.
Allan Houser is the first book to assess the artist's entire career, from his earliest student paintings to the soaring monumental sculpture of his late years. The author, noted art historian W. Jackson Rushing III, shows how the artist developed his unique gifts, not in opposition to, but as a participant in the most important movements of twentieth-century art. Iillustrated with many color photographs taken expressly for this volume and supplemented with photographs from the Houser family archives, the book will offer a comprehensive view of the career of this remarkable artist.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2004

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stunning works. Profoundly Apache (and other Native), and also universal. Accessible to laypeople, but also indisputably 'Fine Art.' Photos are excellent; I can almost imagine that I'm seeing the pieces irl.

I am amazed how many different styles and mediums (and sizes) this hard-working genius worked in, and how, still, they're distinctly his.

I am not reading the text. The book is huge; the text is small, and I & my eyes are old. But there's really no need, I think (based on snippets I did read). (Almost all of the works speak for Mr. Houser and for themselves perfectly clearly & out loud, even the more abstract ones like 1988's *Sentinels.*

Btw, he also illustrated at least one book, 1962's The Desert People, by Ann Nolan Clark about the Tohono O'Odham. A copy of it is archived on openlibrary.org so we can look at it for free.

[J Haeske · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am quite frankly lost for words to adequately describe this splendid book and the wonderful works of art shown and described in it. Allan Houser's artworks have got that spiritual quality I have hardly discovered anywhere else before. Of course he is mainly known for his bronze sculptures, but what was new to me before I started reading that book, was just how good of an illustrator and painter he also was.
In addition, this volume is extremely well conceived and written and the many photos of his artworks are uniformly gorgeous and beautiful.

[Mitzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to go to a large display of Houser’s work some years ago. It was a profoundly moving experience. This book captures the spirit of his work. I love the photo of Houser standing in the key shaped entryway to his sculpture garden.