Harvey Begay
(1939 - March 2, 2009) |
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Art Work
| Name: |
Harvey Begay |
| Gender: |
Male |
| Place of Birth: |
Navajo |
| Nationality: |
American Indian/ Hopi |
| Birth: |
1939 |
| Death: |
March 2, 2009 |
| Website: |
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| Past Auctions: |
Click Here |
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Quick Facts
| Known For: |
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| Medium: |
gold, silver, precious gems |
| Method: |
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| Style: |
traditional contemporary |
| Fine Art Profession(s): |
Jeweler
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Biography
Abundantly blessed with creative genes, Harvey Begay was born into an artistic Navajo family. His grandmother was a well-known weaver and his father was the iconic Kenneth Begay, considered the father of modern Navajo jewelry. Exploring this rich heritage, the budding artist starting working with silver in high school.
However, though spiritually bound to his people, Begay embraces both the Anglo and Native American worlds. After earning a B.S. in Aeronautics from Arizona State University, the college graduate became a US Navy Flight Officer. Only after serving with distinction in Vietnam, did Begay return to jewelry making.
While working with his father, the young Navajo broadened his creative horizons by studying precious and semi-precious gems with the late Pierre Touraine. (The internationally acclaimed French jeweler was regarded as a master of the gemstone) Equally creative with both silver and gold, Begay has become famous for bracelets, rings and necklaces embellished with diamonds, lapis lazuli and coral.
This modern master's work has been exhibited at such cultural institutions as Phoenix's Heard Museum and New York's American Craft Museum. He has also been interviewed on TV, and written up in many books and by numerous national magazines.
"MY father instilled inquisitiveness in me, and I'm always seeking The Unexpected" says Begay. |
Samples of Work
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