Beau Dick
Beau Dick
1955 - 2017
A carver, artist, storyteller and Dzawada’enuxw chief, Beau Dick is credited with playing an instrumental role in reviving Kwakwaka'wakw culture. Dick stands out among artists that have brought the visual culture of his people into the realm of contemporary art through his work, for which he has been embraced in Canada and internationally - particularly for the outstanding originality of his masks.

Born in Alert Bay in 1955 though raised in Kingcome, BC, Dick learned traditional woodcarving under the tutelage of Kwakwaka'wakw legends Tony Hunt and Doug Cranmer. Building on this foundation, Dick mastered the form and expanded on it. The wild creativity and versatility of his mask carvings have brought him widespread acclaim, and are collected by institutions worldwide. His masks frequently depict supernatural beings from local indigenous myths, often incorporating found materials which symbolize personal or communal significance. He would sometimes merge these with contemporary western concepts or insignia as a form of critique, challenging the legacy of colonialism by showing how the culture and language of his people has been suppressed and transformed.

Dick was an activist as well as an artist, and in 2013 he performed the first Kwakwaka'wakw copper-cutting ceremony in decades, signifying the separation of a relationship, in this case between the First Nations and the government. He walked 500 kilometres over 10 days to the front steps of the BC Parliament Building in Victoria, and the public shaming ritual was intended to bring attention to the government’s abuse of First Nations treaties, as well as the harmful practice of commercial fish farming.

In 2012 Dick was awarded the VIVA award for BC Artists. He has been the subject of a two person show at the Vancouver Art Gallery, and his work was included in the 17th Sydney Biennale, as well as documenta 14 in Kassel, Germany in 2017. That same year he was the subject of a documentary Meet Beau Dick: Maker of Monsters which premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival. In 2019 he posthumously had his first solo show in New York City, Devoured by Consumerism at White Columns.
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Killer Whale Mask by Beau Dick sold for $49,250
Beau Dick
Killer Whale Mask
25 x 25 x 64 in, 63.5 x 63.5 x 162.6 cm
2016
carved red cedar sculpture with paint
Estimate: $30,000 - $40,000 CDN
Sold for: $49,250 CDN (premium included)
Vancouver Art Gallery Art Auction 2021 | Spring Forward on Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Mask by Beau Dick sold for $31,250
Beau Dick
Mask
14 x 15 x 8 in, 35.6 x 38.1 x 20.3 cm
painted red cedar mask with horse hair
Estimate: $8,000 - $10,000 CDN
Sold for: $31,250 CDN (premium included)
A Lifelong Passion: First Nations & Inuit Art from an Important Ontario Collection on Thursday, August 26, 2021
Tsonoqwa Spirit Mask by Beau Dick sold for $25,000
Beau Dick
Tsonoqwa Spirit Mask
18 x 19 x 5 1/2 in, 45.7 x 48.3 x 14 cm
carved cedar, cedar bark, feathers, black stain
Estimate: $12,000 - $16,000 CDN
Sold for: $25,000 CDN (premium included)
First Nations Art on Thursday, August 31, 2023
Self-Portrait Mask by Beau Dick sold for $22,500
Beau Dick
Self-Portrait Mask
8 x 9 x 5 1/2 in, 20.3 x 22.9 x 14 cm
carved cedar, horsehair, acrylic
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000 CDN
Sold for: $22,500 CDN (premium included)
First Nations Art on Thursday, August 31, 2023
Crooked Beak Mask by Beau Dick sold for $17,500
Beau Dick
Crooked Beak Mask
17 x 20 x 7 in, 43.2 x 50.8 x 17.8 cm
carved cedar, bark, acrylic
Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000 CDN
Sold for: $17,500 CDN (premium included)
First Nations Art on Thursday, August 25, 2022
Bella Coola Style Frontlet by Beau Dick sold for $7,500
Beau Dick
Bella Coola Style Frontlet
10 1/2 x 6 1/2 x 6 1/2 in, 26.7 x 16.5 x 16.5 cm
carved yellow cedar mask with paint and abalone inlay
Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500 CDN
Sold for: $7,500 CDN (premium included)
First Nations & Inuit Art on Thursday, February 28, 2019
Bella Coola Moon Mask by Beau Dick sold for $6,875
Beau Dick
Bella Coola Moon Mask
10 x 10 x 5 1/2 in, 25.4 x 25.4 x 14 cm
carved yellow cedar mask with acrylic paint and horse hair
Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500 CDN
Sold for: $6,875 CDN (premium included)
First Nations & Inuit Art on Thursday, February 27, 2020
Raven by Beau Dick sold for $5,938
Beau Dick
Raven
6 x 30 x 6 in, 15.2 x 76.2 x 15.2 cm
painted cedar, feathers, rope
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 CDN
Sold for: $5,938 CDN (premium included)
A Lifelong Passion: First Nations & Inuit Art from an Important Ontario Collection on Thursday, August 26, 2021
Hands of Friendship (02529/2013-389) by Beau Dick sold for $375
Beau Dick
Hands of Friendship (02529/2013-389)
15 x 19 in, 38.1 x 48.3 cm
screenprint on paper
Estimate: $300 - $500 CDN
Sold for: $375 CDN (premium included)
Fall 2015 - Imperial Oil Limited Charity Auction on Saturday, October 24, 2015