Scriver, Bob 1914-1999
A Montana native, Bob Scriver is a world-famous sculptor whose works depict scenes of the American West through his sculpted human figures and detailed animal bronzes. Commissions have included a statue of Charlie Russell, a piece for the Cowboy Hall of Fame, and several works of Lewis and Clark.
Scriver was born in Browning, Montana in the heart of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in 1914. He taught music until 1951 when he earned his master's degree at The Vandercook School of Music. Dissatisfied he decided to try something else, even though he was listed in "Who's Who in Music". He became a taxidermist and created his own mounts. In 1956 he established his own Museum of Montana Wildlife including a gallery for his clay sculptures and dioramas. Finally, in 1956 he had his work cast in bronze for exhibition nationally and in Europe. In 1967 he discontinued taxidermy and decided to pursue his sculpting full-time.
Scriver was greatly influenced by figure sculptor Malvina Hoffman. Like her, he familiarized himself with the cire perdue casting process. He would later create his own Bighorn Foundry using this process. His rural upbringing in cowboy and Blackfeet Indian country influenceed his life and inspired his work. This area, adjacent to Glacier National Park, epitomizes the rugged individual idealism which came to characterize the West. Scriver once said, "All my friends are either cowboys or Indians, I don't know about any other kind of people." Bob Scriver remained in Browning until he passed away.
Scriver's bronzes can be found in numerous museums around the country including the C.M. Russell Museum, National Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, and the Glenbow Museum in Calgary.
