Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Bill Holm
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1925-2020
History
Bill Holm was an American art historian, Kwak'wala language speaker, and author, focused on Indigenous Northwest Coast art. He created artworks, and taught Northwest Coast style, including form line design. Bill and his wife, Marty, had a close friendship with Mungo Martin and were well respected by the Kwakwaka'wakw, the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples and his family members were given Kwakwaka'wakw names. He was Professor Emeritus of Art History, and Curator Emeritus of Northwest Coast Indian Art at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, and occasionally lectured at the University of Washington in Seattle. Holm is recognized internationally as one of the most knowledgeable experts in the field of Northwest Coast Native art history.
Holm's 1965 book "Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis of Form" has for decades been the standard introductory text in the field. The 18th printing, the 50th-anniversary edition, was published in 2014 with new commentary.