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Dear friends,
Please visit us in person or online to see our new acquisitions. Of course, we can only highlight a fraction of our selections in newsletters and on the website. If you are looking for a particular artist, subject or community, please contact us and we will be happy to assist you.
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In memoriam:
Victoria Mamnguqsualuq (1930-2016)
We are sorry to report that Victoria Mamnguqsualuq of Baker Lake died recently. A daughter of Jessie Oonark, the premier graphic artist of Baker Lake, Victoria was a superb needlewoman. Her wall hangings are distinguished by meticulous craftmanship, and compositions with many vignettes showing everyday or fantasy occurrences. The wall hanging pictured above tells two different stories: one (on the bottom) shows people catching, cleaning and carrying fish (and engaging in a bit of fighting as well). The top shows a fantasy hunt, with people, wolves and a bird-human spirit. When I met Victoria, she said that for inspiration she drew upon the stories that the elders told in the igloo when she was growing up.
"Victoria Mamnguksualuk is one of the best-known Canadian Inuit artists of her generation. Born near Garry Lake, Northwest Territories, she lived a migratory existence on the land until she was in her early thirties. Because of widespread disease and famine in the hunting camps of the Barren Lands region, Mamnguksualuk and her family, like many Inuits, moved to Baker Lake in 1963. Mamnguksualuk is the daughter of Jessie Oonark (c.1906-1985), one of the best known of all Inuit artists. Both mother and daughter became active in the artistic co-operative at Baker Lake. "As a second generation Inuit artist to live in the settlements, Mamnguksualuk's art has been somewhat influenced by her exposure to images from the outside world. More than some of her predecessors she uses the conventions of European art in her depictions of three-dimensional space and sequential action. Her work is characterized by its complex scenes involving multiple figures and vigorous activity. Mamnguksualuk is particularly interested in the depiction of Inuit myth." Janet Catherine Berlo in "North American Women Artists of the Twentieth Century: A Biographical Dictionary", 1995
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We are excited to offer twenty-one prints from Cape Dorset, Baker Lake and Povungnituk, all from a single collection. All prints are handsomely framed, ready to hang on your wall. Pictured above is a 1961 print by Lucy Qinnuayuak, Child with Captive Bird. This is an excellent and very early example of Lucy Q's fluid, streamlined birds, full of humor (don't miss the two geese fighting over a fish).
The collection can be previewed online, but we urge you to see this dramatic selection in person. How else to savor the details of daily life in Kiakshuk's Whale Hunt (at left), which graphically presents the enormity of the task before the hunters armed only with harpoons facing a pod of whales?
Similarly, Eegyvudluk Ragee's enigmatic Vision of Caribou (pictured at the right) has a richly textured background (achieved by inking a slab of whalebone) that makes each impression of this print unique. This exceptional selection includes five prints by Kenojuak Ashevak, spanning three decades of her career. The collection also includes Mary Igiu's masterpiece (and only print) People of the Sea, Parr's fantasy Inukshuks at Play, and two early Povungnituk prints. |
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About Us
Alaska on Madison is a gallery of indigenous art of Alaska and Canada run by collectors for collectors. We feature Inuit art of the twentieth and twenty-first century Canadian Arctic, two-thousand-year-old objects from the Old Bering Sea cultures, and nineteenth century art from the Northwest Coast peoples and Yup'ik Eskimos. Our collection ranges from museum-quality works to more modest but still excellent works for private collectors, whether novice or sophisticated. We also have a selection of books that will enhance your appreciation of your collection.
Baffled by syllabic signatures? Learn how to interpret them by using our guide, Deciphering Inuktitut Signatures, and our Inuit Artist Search Tool.
Regular gallery hours are Tuesday - Saturday 1:30 - 6:00 pm, but it's always a good idea to call or email in advance in case we have an appointment out of the gallery.
Visit our website
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