PITSEOLAK NIVIAQSI, R.C.A. (1947-2015) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Totemic Composition with Animals and Hunter, late 1990s
stone, 23.5 x 6 x 7.5 in. (59.7 x 15.2 x 19.1 cm)
signed, "ᐱᓯᐅᓚ / ᓂᕕᐊᓯ".

Provenance
Private Collection, USA.

Pitseolak Niviaqsi was the son of the famous sculptor and graphic artist Niviaqsi (1908-1959) and certainly inherited his father’s skills. A master lithographer, he devoted much of his time to the printmaking studios in Cape Dorset, creating several hundred prints since the mid 1970s. As such Niviaqsi was never a prolific sculptor, but at his best he displayed a skill and genius rivaling that of the great Osuitok Ipeelee. Indeed this magnificent Totemic Composition could be compared in many respects with Osuitok’s wonderful Owl and Ermine (Lot 76). Much like Osuitok, Pitseolak is known for his masterful manipulation of stone and superb finishing.

The detail of the intercarving, the stunning use of negative space, the lovely sense of balance, and the subtle asymmetry seen in this work by Niviaqsi is almost unparalleled even in this artist’s own impressive oeuvre. Rather than merging or flowing together, each figure in this whimsical totem is beautifully and uniquely articulated. The movement of each form compliments the next; the upward curvature of the top figure mirrors the downward curvature of the other three figures. One needs to walk around the sculpture to fully appreciate its subtle curves and to discover the almost secret negative spaces the artist has created. Apart from its sheer beauty, the sculpture has a wonderful charm despite its monumental size. We are reminded of the Bremen Town Musicians folk tale immortalized by a sculpture in that city’s main square. Arguably the artist’s greatest masterpiece, Totemic Composition is an artistic tour de force that merits a place in the pantheon of great Kinngait sculpture.

References: For an excellent introduction to this artist’s sculpture see Spirit Wrestler Gallery, The Lyrical World of Pitseolak Niviaqsi, (Vancouver: Spirit Wrestler Gallery, 2001). For a work with a similar bird motif by the artist, see Derek Norton and Nigel Reading, Cape Dorset Sculpture, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 2005), p. 84. For other fine works see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Phoenix: Heard Museum, 2006), cat. 181; First Arts Auction, May 2019, Lot 58; Walker’s Auctions, May 2016, Lot 139.