5. Owl

Kinngait (Cape Dorset)
Serpentine
17” x 17” x 10”

First beginning to carve in the mid 1930s, over the next seventy years Osuitok Ipeelee would go on to have one of the most outstanding careers of any Inuit artist, having his work included in over one hundred exhibitions in Canada and around the world. Today, Ipeelee has a significant presence in every public collection of Inuit art, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, to the National Gallery of Canada, to the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas.

Carved from deep black serpentine, Ipeelee’s Owl is depicted mid-stride, its wings dramatically raised and flared back, suggesting the tension of imminent flight or an act of assertion. The wings are rendered with a sleek, high-polish finish that gleams against the stone’s dark surface, in striking contrast to the deeply carved facial features. The Owl’s wide, penetrating eyes and downturned mouth convey a somber, almost human expressiveness, while its forward-lunging head and poised step lend the work a vivid sense of movement and intent. Both elegant and powerful, this piece exemplifies Ipeelee’s incredible ability to animate stone with emotion.