Alexander C. Mcintosh, Chebon Ahbulah (Laughing Boy), Lumhee Holot-Tee (Blue Eagle)

Place: Anadarko

Born: 1909

Death: 1959

Biography:

Acee Blue Eagle, born Alexander C. McIntosh, was a renowned Native American artist, educator, dancer, and flute player. He was also known by the names Chebon Ahbulah (Laughing Boy) and Lumhee Holot-Tee (Blue Eagle), and was an enrolled member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.

Early Life and Education

Born on August 17, 1909, in Anadarko, Oklahoma, Blue Eagle studied at Haskell Institute in Lawrence, Kansas, and then Chilocco Indian Agricultural School, where he earned his high school diploma in 1928. He began college at Bacone College in Muskogee and then studied art at the University of Oklahoma (OU) in Norman in 1932. While at OU, Blue Eagle studied painting under Oscar B. Jacobson, known for popularizing "Flatstyle" painting.

Art Career

Blue Eagle's work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics. In 1935, he was invited to give a series of lectures on American Indian art at Oxford University in England. By 1938, his work had become nationally recognized, and he had a solo exhibition at the Grand Central Art Galleries in New York City. Acee Blue Eagle gained worldwide fame during his lifetime, and his two-dimensional paintings hang in private and public galleries all over the world. Some of his notable works include:

• Two Deer and Raincloud, a tempera painting at the National Cowboy - Western Heritage Museum (Oklahoma City, United States)
• Flute Player, a tempera painting at the National Cowboy - Western Heritage Museum (Oklahoma City, United States)
• Woman and Deer, a tempera painting at the National Cowboy - Western Heritage Museum (Oklahoma City, United States)

Blue Eagle was well known for painting large interior murals, some of which are still preserved in Oklahoma, for the New Deal art projects. He was commissioned to paint two murals for classrooms in the health and physical education building of Oklahoma College for Women, now the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, in Chickasha, Oklahoma.

Awards and Honors

Blue Eagle was elected into the Indian Hall of Fame, Who's Who of Oklahoma, and the International Who's Who. He was chosen "Outstanding Indian in the United States" in 1958. Among his many honors, Blue Eagle received a medal for eight paintings at the National Museum of Ethiopia, presented by the Emperor Haile Selassie I. Wikioo.org features some of Acee Blue Eagle's works, including Two Deer and Raincloud and Flute Player. For more information on Acee Blue Eagle, visit Wikioo.org or Wikipedia.