Fritz Scholder, 1937-2005, poses with buffalo head in Taos, New Mexico, in 1977. Photo Photo courtesy of Meridel Rubenstein via American Indian News Service / National Museum of the American Indian
An exhibit at the Phoenix Art Museum showcases the works of the late Fritz Scholder, who passed away in February 2005. EJ Montini takes a trip down memory lane with the "non-Indian Indian" artist:
He was the son of a Bureau of Indian Affairs school administrator who described himself as a “non-Indian Indian.” His birth heritage was Native American, French, English and German and he told me once, “I am proud of that one-quarter of my heritage, but a person cannot be something he is only one-quarter of.” Such a person can explode the mythology of what it means to be Native American, however, if he had a genius for making art. Scholder did. He also had a genius for playing the part of a genius, enjoy a rock star status among those who followed contemporary art and hobnobbing with the biggest celebrities of his day. We did one interview while he was working on an painting and at one point he reared back and slung paint on the canvas. I said it was as if he was waging war. He said, “It’s war paint, all right. Only this kind doesn’t get you killed. It makes you money.”Get the Story:
EJ Montini: The ‘non-Indian Indian’ who redefined war paint (The Arizona Republic 3/12)
Join the Conversation
