Acee Blue Eagle
Acee Blue Eagle was a prominent Native American artist known for his contributions to the Kiowa flat style of painting. Raised in Henryetta, Oklahoma, he pursued his education at several institutions, including Bacone College and the University of Oklahoma, and even attended Oxford University in 1935. He began his artistic career in the 1920s and gained recognition for creating murals, including those commissioned by the Works Progress Administration. Blue Eagle also toured the United States and Europe, sharing insights into Native American culture through lectures and exhibitions while often dressed in traditional attire.
His service in the Air Force during World War II marked a significant period in his life, and after the war, he worked as a freelance artist in major cities like New York and Chicago. He later served as the Art Department Director at Bacone College and hosted a television program focused on children's television. Additionally, he authored a children's book titled "Ecogee, the Little Blue Deer," and contributed to various publications. In 1958, he was recognized as the "Outstanding Indian in the United States," affirming his status as a leading figure in Native American art.
Acee Blue Eagle
- Born: August 17, 1907
- Birthplace: Wichita Reservation, Oklahoma
- Died: June 18, 1959
- Place of death: Muskogee, Oklahoma
Category: Painter, lecturer
Tribal affiliation: Pawnee, Creek
Significance: The flamboyant Acee is probably the best-known Oklahoma Indian painter; he also taught and lectured widely
Acee Blue Eagle was reared by a guardian in Henryetta, Oklahoma. His education included coursework at Bacone College, University of Oklahoma, and Oxford University (1935). His art career began in the 1920’s. Acee studied with Oscar Jacobson at the University of Oklahoma and continued to paint in the Kiowa flat style. He created numerous murals, including those for a commission from the Works Progress Administration (1934), in addition to many canvases.
In 1935, Acee toured the United States and Europe, lecturing and exhibiting on the life, dances, and stories of Native Americans, often in costume. He spent three years in the Air Force during World War II. From 1947 until 1949, he free-lanced in New York and Chicago and then was artist-in-residence at Oklahoma Technical College from 1951 to 1952. From 1950 to 1954, he hosted a television program. He toured the West Coast, lecturing about improving television programs for children. Blue Eagle wrote and illustrated Ecogee, the Little Blue Deer (1972), a children’s book, drew a cartoon carried in Oklahoma newspapers, and edited Oklahoma Indian Painting-Poetry (1959). Referred to as flamboyant and as the foremost living Indian painter, he was named “Outstanding Indian in the United States” in 1958.