Waddington’s Inuit and First Nations Art Auctions

Leading Canadian auction house Waddington’s is staging dual spring sales, Inuit and First Nations Art and Canadian and International Fine Art. Both reflect meticulous vetting and selections from important private collections and estates, and feature a remarkable breadth of remarkable works. Both are live for bidding through May 29, 2024.

The booming Inuit art market has a indigenous and inuit art auctions impact on the economy in Nunavut. In 2015, according to a survey by Big River Analytics, the visual arts and crafts economy generated $37.3 million in economic activity across Nunavut, with more than 2,129 full time equivalent jobs created or supported — the vast majority of which are associated with artists producing for income.

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While the artistic traditions of the Inuit people are rich and varied, certain forms have remained remarkably distinctive despite the advancing pace of change in the Arctic. The Mi’kmaq of Atlantic Canada, for example, remain renowned for their traditional moose hair embroidery and porcupine quillwork on birchbark, woven into garments that celebrate the interconnectedness of all life, including human beings and animals.

Other forms of traditional Inuit art include the carvings and print graphics that dominate retail and wholesale sales — the majority of which are produced by men. Carved by Kenojuak Ashevak, the evocative Enchanted Owl is an iconic image that launched an unforgettable era of Inuit printmaking. In the gallery’s September Inuit Art auction, a powerful Migration Boat by Joe Talirunili and an exceptional three-work suite from Pauta Saila offer examples of these historically significant forms. In addition, Jessie Oonark’s dynamic new nivingajuliat composition demonstrates the fluid possibilities of these compositional styles.