Mask no.4 (Apache)

R.C. Gorman

The fourth in a series of six masks that Gorman did early in his career, 1975, before he moved to the figurative images that he became known for. This print was printed in San Francisco by Windmill Press Master Printer John Gruenwald who drew out the best in Gorman to create a dramatic series of Native American masks.

An image of a mask from the Apache Mountain Spirits Legend: Representatives of the Mountain People, appear among the Apache Indian people in masked form and are called the Crown Dancers. Apaches tell many stories of the Mountain Spirits, usually attesting to their power to cure and protect, or to the ill consequences of showing disrespect for the Mountain Spirits.

This print was done in a small editon of 15, plus 3 various proofs.