“Gods Favorite” Apache Nickel Plated Steel Sculpture by Bob Haozous [SOLD]

"God's Favorite" is a nickel-plated steel sculpture by Chiricahua Apache artist Bob Haozous. Weighing 53 pounds, the piece presents a stylized animal in profile — likely a coyote, a significant figure in Apache mythology known both as a clever trickster and a complex symbol of duality.

Created in the mid-1990s, this dynamic work consists of four interlocking steel panels, each about three-quarters of an inch thick. Two broad, angled panels form the body and legs of the coyote, while a third shapes its expressive head, complete with a hanging tongue and jagged teeth. A cutout in the shape of a cross forms the eye, adding symbolic and visual impact. The final panel makes up the coyote's long, slender tail.

From an overhead view, the sculpture's components create a W-shaped configuration, with each pair of panels aligning to heighten the impression of movement already conveyed by the animal's lifted leg and open mouth. The surface is deliberately distressed — nicked, abraded, and textured — giving the figure a rugged vitality that enhances its primal character.

The artist's name, "Haozous," appears in raised cursive on one side of the base, while the title, "God's Favorite," is stamped into the other side, just beneath the head.

Bob Haozous (b. 1943) is a Chiricahua Apache sculptor and the son of renowned Apache artist Allan Houser. His grandfather served as an interpreter and runner for Geronimo and was later imprisoned with him at Fort Sill. Haozous works across various media — drawing, painting, printmaking, and jewelry — but is best known for his sculptural works, especially large-scale public art. His notable installations include the monumental disks on Seattle's CenturyLink Field, which reflect on humanity's evolving relationship with the environment.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: "Gods Favorite" Apache Nickel Plated Steel Sculpture by Bob Haozous is from a Santa Fe collector

Recommended Reading: HOUSER and HAOZOUS—a Sculptural Retrospective by Robert Breunig

Relative Links: Allan Houser, Chiricahua Apache, drawing, painting, printmaking, jewelry, scultpure, Bob Haozous, Chiricahua Apache Sculptor