Sculptor Richard Greeves at Autry’s Museum of the American West

Wednesday, 27 September 2006 10:07

Los Angeles, CA - Lewis and Clark Among the Indians: Sculptures by R. V. Greeves will feature 29 sculptures on view at the Autry’s Museum of the American West in Griffith Park.  On exhibit until November 12, 2006.

About the Artist

Richard Greeves has made the Lewis and Clark expedition and the American Indians it encountered the core of his life’s work.  Born in St. Louis in 1935, Greeves has invested nearly a lifetime piecing together the epic journey.  “I was created for this,” the sculptor says.  “I do sometimes feel that, if only I could go back, I would scold Lewis and Clark for not bringing an artist along on the trip.”

Growing up in St. Louis, he had ready access to the displays from the 1904 World Exposition.  “It was the depository of the largest amount of Lewis and Clark material,” Greeves recalls, “and I was granted free access.”  He traversed the Missouri River, experiencing firsthand the topography the famed expedition explored.  In his teens, Greeves visited Fort Washakie and vowed he’d call it home someday.  “The thing is, I did break away from my own roots to come here and live among the Indians,” he says.  “I wanted a true knowledge of things, and I found a deep communication among the people.  We all like to be respected in our own hometown, and I value the Indian opinions. Once I was working with a young Indian on a project, and when he was done, he told me that he was proud to be working with me. That means a lot in any small community.”  The works in the exhibition are indeed the summation of a lifetime.

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