Bids at Inuit art auctions exceed expectations

Waddington’s auction house in Toronto sold this print by the late Cape Dorset artist Tudlik called “Seal Thoughts of Man” for $19,200 earlier this month, considerably above its estimated sale price of $5,000 to $7,000. (IMAGE COURTESY OF WADDINGTONS)

This print by the late Tudlik called “Division of Meat” fetched $14,400 at the recent Waddington’s auction in Toronto — much more than its estimated sale price of $4,000 to $6,000. (IMAGE COURTESY OF WADDINGTONS)

Collectors and dealers from across Canada and the world picked up hundreds of Inuit carvings, prints and wallhangings at two recent auctions, among the largest sales of Inuit art to date in Canada.

Toronto’s Waddington’s held its annual fall auction of Inuit art Nov. 7, while Ottawa-based Walker’s Auctions tried its hand at its first Inuit art-focused auction Nov. 13.

The success of the two events, which saw at least 90 per cent of their collections sold, underlines one message: Inuit art’s popularity endures.

The $750,000 that Waddington’s pulled in from the sale was proof enough that the appetite for Inuit art is healthy, said the auction house’s Inuit art director, Christa Ouimet.

“Inuit art is hot and there’s definitely a demand for it,” Ouimet said. “The prices we’re achieving proves there is a good collectors’ base.”

That base spans Canada, the rest of North America and Europe, with collectors and dealers travelling from great distances to take part in the two recent auctions.

Among its notable sales, Waddington’s parted with an intricate stone sculpture of an umiak, carved by the late artist Ennutsiak, for a whopping $88,750.

A print by the late Cape Dorset artist Tudlik called “Seal Thoughts of Man” sold for $19,200 — although its estimated sale price was $5,000 to $7,000.

And another print by Tudlik, called “Division of Meat,” fetched $14,400, much more than its estimated sale price of $4,000 to $6,000.

“Graphics in particular has done really well in recent years,” Ouimet said. “The classic ones are rare to market and so when they come out, collectors chase them. They’re beautiful images and there’s a lot of history attached to the early pieces.”

Walker’s Auctions also sold a number of prints and drawings Nov. 13 at prices well above their estimated values.

“Dog Sees the Spirits,” a 1960 print from famed Cape Dorset artist Kenojuak Ashevak, valued at about $6,000, went for $22,420.

And a 1970s untitled pencil crayon drawing by Jessie Oonark sold for $14,160, a price Walker’s Auctions’ Inuit art specialist Ingo Hessel believes may set a new sales record for Inuit drawings.

Walker’s Auctions’ Nov. 13 event included 285 pieces of Inuit art, most from the estate of John and Mary Robertson, formerly of Ottawa’s Robertson Galleries.

One of the auctions most coveted pieces, a 1950s carving called “Hunter and Walrus” by Inukjuak artist Akeeaktashuk, sold for $31,860.

“People were looking for the good stuff, the old stuff,” Hessel said, referring to the period when Inuit art first blossomed in the Arctic during in the 1950s.

“By and large, the prices were solid and some went well beyond our expectations.”

The auction house says that the average sale price from its Nov. 13 auction was almost 20 per cent higher than its estimated prices.

“People have been saying for decades that Inuit art must be on the wane,” Hessel said. “But this puts it in a different perspective. I think more people are taking notice that it’s a major art form.”

Walker’s Auctions is already planning its second Inuit art sale for next spring.