TUDLIK (1890-1966) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Owl, c. 1958-59
stone, 4.5 x 4 x 3.25 in (11.4 x 10.2 x 8.3 cm)
unsigned.

Provenance
Collection of Vivian Julien, a schoolteacher who worked in the Canadian Arctic from the late 1950s until the mid 1970s;
by descent to a Private Collection, Ontario.

Originally from the Kimmirut (Lake Harbour) area, Tudlik moved to Cape Dorset in the early 1950s and immediately became one of the first Inuit in the area to carve at the invitation of James Houston; his work was soon included in several important early exhibitions in the South. At first Tudlik carved a variety of animal subjects, but he gradually specialized in depicting birds, especially owls. This solidly compact Owl is, to our eyes, one of the most appealing examples we have seen. Carved in a beautiful stone with a lovely matte finish, it possesses a charming quirkiness coupled with a real sculptural presence. Tudlik also went on to become an important graphic artist, authoring several of the most famous early Cape Dorset print images (see Lot 42). Tudlik’s son Latcholassie Akesuk (1919-2000) followed in his father’s footsteps as a carver, also specializing in birds, and became one of Cape Dorset’s most famous sculptors (see Lots 35, 83).

References: For similar examples see George Swinton, Eskimo Sculpture, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1965), p. 85; George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972), figs. 6, 441, p. 9, 183; Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture / Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971), cats. 196, 199.