Additional Images

Provenance:

The Collection of Terry Ryan;
Private Collection, Ontario

Note:

An important early Kinngait artist, little is known about the life of Niviaqsi (once commonly known as Niviaksiak). Although a relatively small number of works are attributed to the artist, Niviaqsi’s graphics and refined sculptures are among the most prized by many collectors. This rendering by James Houston may be the only confirmed portrait of the artist, and is the original print block used to produce the 1959 print.

For almost 50 years Terry Ryan was the art advisor and general manager of the West Baffin Co-operative (WBEC). Much like his predecessor and fellow Ontario College of Art graduate James Houston, Ryan had a passion for the Arctic and its people, with whom he lived for the better part of his life. Speaking of Ryan in his 2017 obituary in The Globe and Mail, John Westren of Dorset Fine Arts said of Ryan that he dedicated himself to the task of supporting the co-op: “it was his whole life. He was one of those old-fashioned men of integrity.” (1)

Ryan was passionate about the art, and worked closely with nearly all of the early, now-celebrated Kinngait artists. Selections from the Terry Ryan collection were offered by Waddington’s in 2019 and again in 2020. We are pleased to be able to offer an additional installment of important works from Ryan’s collection.

1. Stoffman, Judy. “The godfather of Inuit art.” The Globe and Mail. September 17, 2017. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/inuit-arts-patron-terry-ryan-had-a-passion-for-thearctic/article36286400/.