Constructed sculpture, 1996. Approximately 1143x216x216 mm; 45x8 1/2x8 1/2 inches. Signed, titled and dated in ink on the wood mount, verso.
Provenance: acquired directly from the artist, John Axelrod, Boston (1999); the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2011).
This mask is the first recorded work of this artist, craftsmen and educator to come to auction. Willis "Bing" Davis was born in Greer, SC, but grew up in Dayton, OH, where he lives today. He attended DePauw University in Greencastle, IN, graduating in 1959. He attended the School of the Dayton Art Institute and received his M.Ed in 1967 from Miami University in Oxford, OH. His long career in teaching includes positons in the Dayton Public School System, at DePauw and Miami Universities, and 20 years at Central State University in Wilberforce, OH. While at CSU, Davis was also chair of the Art Department and Director of the Paul Robeson Cultural and Performing Arts Center. Davis has exhibited at the Studio Museum of Harlem, American Craft Museum, Maryland Institute College of Art, and the Savannah College of Art and Design. Biography courtesy of the artist's website.
