Albright Knox Art Museum

Buffalo, NY

“Gamebird” is one of the ten bronzes created by John Vassar House (JVH) and cast in Rome and shipped to the Sisti Galleries in Franklin St. Buffalo, NY for a one man show in May 1960.

The ten sculptures were created between year 1958 and 1960. Interestingly, these sculptures adopt up to three different medium styles being:

Abstract/Representational:

• Gamebird; 
• Cat; 
• Torso; 
• Warrior

Organic-Vertebrae:

• Spine-Animal-Form
• Reunion

Organic/Pods/Seeds/Birth: 

• Elements; 
• Seed; 
• Birth; 
• Growth

Gamebird falls within the “Abstract/Representational” medium style and was donated to the Albright Knox permanent collection by the Sisti gallery with three Buffalo patrons.

Mr. Gordon M. Smith, at the time director of the Albright, described the acquisition as technically excellent. 

“He has caught the feeling of a bird in motion, yet simplified the structure into semi-abstraction,” he said. “It is extremely well expressed in sculpture terms”.