PAUTA SAILA, R.C.A. (1916-2009) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Dancing Bear, late 1970s
stone and antler, 5.5 x 2.75 x 3.5 in (14 x 7 x 8.9 cm), measurements reflect dimensions without later added acrylic base.
apparently unsigned.

Provenance
Private Collection;
Walker's, Ottawa, 4 November 2012, Lot 180;
Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, Toronto.

If we formed our opinions of this sculpture based solely on photographs, we could easily be forgiven for assuming that this is a piece of monumental proportions. How delightful, then, to discover that it measures a rather diminutive 5 ½” tall! Wishful thinking, perhaps, but this fellow almost seems like a maquette for a large-scale public sculpture. Imagine how spectacular it would be to see an outsized version of this sculpture in a public plaza!

We are constantly amazed by the stylistic range and evolution of the “Pauta Bear.” Over a period of decades, Pauta experimented widely with his preferred subject, seemingly never content with one single iteration. Some of Pauta’s experiments were more successful than others of course, but in our opinion this little gem shows the artist at the top of his game. Pauta, while simplifying the form almost to abstraction, has nonetheless masterfully invested this piece with all the power and ferocity of his biggest, and best, dancing bears.

References: For other fine examples of balancing (“dancing”) bears by Pauta, albeit larger examples, see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Douglas & McIntyre, 1998) cover and p. 125 (from 1984 in the Sarick Collection, AGO); also Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 117 (from 1973, also Sarick, Art Gallery of Ontario). See also Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, 3 May 2012, Lot 24; Walker’s Auctions, Toronto, 4 November 2012, Lots 22 and 77; Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, 5 May 2013, Lot 15; Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, 18 November 2015, Lot 203; Walker’s Auctions, Ottawa, 22 November 2017, Lot 62.