Emma Lu Davis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emma Lu Davis
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Emma Lu Davis in 1942
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| Born | November 26, 1905 |
| Died | October 19, 1988 (aged 82) |
| Education | Vassar College Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts UCLA |
| Known for | Modern sculpture, Social realism, animal forms |
Emma Lu Davis (1905–1988) was an American artist and scientist. She was known for her sculptures and paintings. Later in life, she became an important archaeologist.
Biography
Early life and education
Emma Lu Davis was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, on November 26, 1905. She went to Vassar College and finished her studies in 1927. After that, she studied art for three years at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.
Career
After leaving art school, Emma Lu worked as a freelance artist for three years. She took on many different art projects. In 1933, she spent six months learning new art methods from Buckminster Fuller. He taught her about good craftsmanship. She learned how to work with wood and started making abstract art. Her sculptures from the 1930s show her interest in folk art. For example, her sculpture "Grotesque Bull" was shown in a famous exhibition in 1942.
In 1935, Davis traveled to Russia. She wanted to see how artists worked there. She found that Russian artists did not create new styles. This was because they had to follow a style called "socialist realism." This style focused on showing facts, but not the deeper meaning of things.
From 1938 to 1941, Davis was an artist at Reed College in Oregon. She said these were some of the best years of her life. In 1939, she was asked to paint a mural called Missouri Livestock. It was for a post office in La Plata, Missouri. Two years later, she worked with Henry Kreis. They made granite sculptures for the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building in Washington, D.C. These sculptures showed the benefits of social security.
After working as an artist for 30 years, Davis decided to change careers. She wanted to become an archaeologist. She earned her Ph.D. from UCLA in 1965. Her main study was about ancient people called the Anasazi. She worked at the San Diego Museum of Man. She also studied the desert areas of southern California, especially China Lake. Before she retired, she started the Great Basin Foundation. This group studied ancient environments. Many people believe Davis helped make archaeology in California more scientific.
Death and legacy
Emma Lu Davis passed away in San Diego on October 19, 1988. Her artworks are kept in important museums. These include the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Her art is also in other public and private collections.
Selected exhibitions
- Solo exhibition at the Peiping Institute of Fine Arts, Beiping, China, 1937
- Boyer Galleries, New York, 1937
- Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, 1938 and 1939
- 1939 New York World's Fair
- Americans 1942: 18 Artists from 9 States, Museum of Modern Art, 1942
- Recent Acquisitions: The Work of Young Americans, Museum of Modern Art, 1943
- The Permanent Collection—Women Artists, Whitney Museum of American Art, 1970
- Painting and Sculpture Changes 2011, Museum of Modern Art, 2011
