Richard Vernon Greeves (Wyoming / Missouri, 1935-2022), "Study for Unknown", artist-cast bronze sculpture on wooden base, with incised signature, edition number 36, and date 1984

height 20 in. x width 13 in. x depth 11 in. (including base)

Provenance: Property from a home in Arlington, Texas

Richard Greeves was a largely self-taught sculptor whose artistic development grew from a childhood fascination with building and working with tools, influenced by the craftspeople in his St. Louis neighborhood; at age fifteen, his first visit to the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming profoundly shaped the direction of his career. He later made the reservation his home and studio, dedicating his life to monumental bronze sculpture of Native American subjects and emphasizing firsthand knowledge and emotional authenticity in his work. Greeves believed that an artist must understand both the inner character and physical anatomy of a subject before conveying mood and feeling, and his sculptures reflect this commitment to expressive, carefully observed figures. His major works include monumental sculptures of Chief Washakie and Crazy Horse at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, including a courtyard monument featuring Indian figures at one-and-a-half times life size. In 2000, he received the James Earle Fraser Award for Outstanding Artistic Merit from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.