McCord Museum - Inuit Modern

Inuit Modern Art

February 24 - September 3, 2012

Montreal's McCord Museum is hosting a new exhibition, this time on Modern Inuit Art. This exhibition attests that Inuit art has a strong presence in Canada in 2012, and also documents that the Inuit have made a rich contribution to the history of art in Canada.

This exhibition was organized in collaboration with the Art gallery of Ontario. It features Esther and Samuel Sarick collection, one of the world's most comprehensive collections of Inuit art. Inuit Modern traces the transformation of 20th-century Inuit art and features more than 175 works by 75 artists, including sculptures, prints and drawings. All of the exhibits on display were privately collected by Esther and Samuel Sarick. They donated 3,000 modern Inuit works to the Art Gallery of Ontario that they collected with great passion for more than 40 years.

The exhibition examines several different topics:

Art in the Face of Colonialism explores the repercussions of the first contacts with Europeans. Starting in the late 18th century, explorers, whalers, merchants and missionaries travelled to the Arctic, bringing home as souvenirs small ivory objects made by the Inuit. These strangers (they were called Qallunaat) soon began commissioning sculptures, often of kayaks and small animals.

In the 1950s, as their lifestyle based on hunting and fishing began to collapse, the Inuit experienced major social and cultural upheaval. The federal government of Canada intervened and urged Inuit families to give up their nomadic habits and settle in permanent villages. Hopping to stimulate the Inuit economy, the government introduced an art program through James Houston and the Canadian Handicrafts Guild. The present exhibition attests to the fact that this art program was extremely successful and fruitful.

If in the USA, in order to discover the new territories it was commonly suggested to go west, In Canada it was definitely stated to go north. However, if you wish to discover the art of the north, you do not have to travel long distances but simply visit the Montreal’s McCord Museum.

Series of films and lectures on Inuit Art will also be presented:

http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/activities/guidedtours/

Museum’s Opening Hours

http://www.mccord-museum.qc.ca/en/info/hours/

 List of Photos as they appear in the text

1. Quvinatuliak Tampauhai, Woman Holding Breads, before 1987, stone, McCord Museum Exibition 2012.
2. Sallualu Quinuajua, Fantastic Figure, around 1970, McCord Museum Exibition 2012, Photo by Nadia Slejskova.
3. Augustine Anaittuq, Muskox, 1990, whale bone, fur, sinew, McCord Museum Exibition 2012, Photo by Nadia Slejskova.
4. Nick Sikkuark, Shaman Performing, 1987-88, whale bone, fur, sinew, McCord Museum 2012, Photo by Nadia Slejskova.