Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970

by Maria von Finckenstein (Editor), Adrienne Clarkson (Foreword), James A. Houston (Contributor)

Lavishly illustrated with more than 100 color photographs, Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970 is an impressive tribute to an art form that was virtually unknown fifty years ago and is now regularly featured in major art exhibitions worldwide. The works of art in this book are organized by geographic area, to illustrate the strong regional styles of this unique art form. In Nunavik, narrative is emphasized, whereas the works of Baffin artists stress the beauty of the richly textured local stone. In Keewatin, the sculptures look pre-historic yet modern, while the work of the Kitikmeot is distinguished by its shamanic whalebone carvings. Quotes, reminiscences and historic snapshots provide introductions to individual Northern communities. In a major and invaluable essay, James Houston, a tireless and passionate champion and respected authority on Inuit art, recounts his experiences and observations of fifty years with the Inuit people. The stunning photos, taken by Museum photographer Harry Foster, illustrate major pieces from the Canadian Museum of Civilization as well as treasures from James Houston's personal collection.

Genres: Art

192 pages, Hardcover

First published February 5, 2000

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a trip to Montreal I first saw Inuit sculpture. Inuits, formerly thought of as Eskimos, are the native inhabitants of lands in Northern Canada and Greenland. This is a book of the Inuit art of sculpture. Inuit art can also be really beautiful paintings, but this book doesn't focus on that, it is all sculptures. The first 50 pages are an introduction to Inuit art and personal stories by the artists in the book. This gives us an introduction to 22 years of Inuit art, and gives us a background of how it was done for fun by locals and then discovered by the world. It was an interesting insight into the lives of these Northern people and their life and culture.

The rest of the book. almost 150 pages are beautiful photographs of various Inuit sculptures. There is about a sculpture on each page with a short blurb on each piece and the artist who created it. The sculptures are all quite interesting, and they are the main reason I bought the book. (Thanks to Amazon.com, and their great used book bargains!) I wish I had the money to collect more of the actual sculptures, but for now these photo album style books are nice to have. The photos are in color and the paper is high quality. The book itself is 187 pages and it is about 9" x 11".

The sculptures in here are interesting and varied. Some are of fishermen, others are of birds, penguins, hunters, women, boaters, polar bears and walruses. The sculptures are small, and smooth carved out of stone. If you can't get to a museum that has an Inuit art exhibit (For example, the highly diverse and huge Boston Museum of Fine Art, has but ONE Inuit art sculpture in its displayed collections), this book is a nice way to see a representative sample of Inuit sculptures.

[Andrew Sampson · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMgoodness,

Inuit art, in my humble opinion, is the most amazing Native Peoples art on the planet.

[Connie D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming photos and personal commentary.