Elizabeth Nutaraaluk, Inuit, Family Composition, C. 1988-90 - Jun 14, 2022 | First Arts Premiers Inc. In Ontario
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ELIZABETH NUTARAALUK, INUIT, Family Composition, c. 1988-90

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ELIZABETH NUTARAALUK, INUIT, Family Composition, c. 1988-90
ELIZABETH NUTARAALUK, INUIT, Family Composition, c. 1988-90
Item Details
Description
ELIZABETH NUTARAALUK AULATJUT (1914-1998) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT)
Family Composition, c. 1988-90
antler and wood, 13 x 19.5 x 10 in (33 x 49.5 x 25.4 cm)
unsigned.

Provenance
Private collection, Chicago, Illinois;
Galerie Elca London, Montreal;
Collection of E. Daniel Albrecht, Scottsdale, AZ;
A Montreal Collection.

Although best known for her works in stone, late in her career Nutaraaluk occasionally worked with caribou antler, either for use as inlay (see lot #2) or for small abstracted stand-alone human figures. This exceptional piece by Nutaraaluk is reminiscent of the antler compositions of her son-in-law Luke Anowtalik, if less whimsical; it also puts us in mind of the powerful antler compositions of Luke Iksiktaaryuk of Baker Lake. We love the rather brutalist approach to the figures which seem to have been hewn with an axe; the central matriarchal figure with her wonderful windswept braid is a nod to one of the trademarks of Nutaraaluk’s stone sculptures.

References: Nutaraaluk was the “grande dame” of Arviat sculpture. Both her sensitively carved early works and her increasingly raw later sculptures are iconic symbols of maternal love and struggle for survival. For more typical examples of her stone sculpture see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit: Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / Phoenix: Heard Museum, 2006), cats. 39 and 132; Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre / New York: Harry Abrams / London: British Museum Press, 1998), fig. 104; First Arts Auction, July 2020, Lots 41 and 59. For a similar antler work by Nutaraaluk’s son-in-law Luke Anowtalik, see George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972/92), fig. 592, p. 206.
Condition
The absence of condition does not imply that an item is free from defects, nor does a reference to particular defects imply the absence of any others. Our team can provide thorough and comprehensive condition reports and additional images. We welcome your enquiries at info@firstarts.ca or 647-286-5012.

NOTE
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ELIZABETH NUTARAALUK, INUIT, Family Composition, c. 1988-90

Estimate CA$2,500 - CA$3,500
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Starting Price CA$1,800
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