Provenance:

The Collection of Terry Ryan;
Private Collection, Ontario

Literature:

Imperial Oil Review, October 1960 (Vol. 44, No. 5), 18-19

Note:

Previously speculated to have been made in an edition of three, this important special commission print is clearly marked: “3/3.” Reproduced in the October 1960 edition of the Imperial Oil Review, the print depicts workers rolling oil drums from the beach up to a stone yard behind the Kinngait residence of James Houston. This scene may be documented in the photographic records of freelance photojournalist Rosemary Gilliat Eaton (1919–2004) who was working on behalf of Imperial Oil in 1960, and described the events portrayed in the print in her diary of that year.

Depicted in Kiakshuk’s distinctive, minimal style, the print is made up of a composition of layered linear scenes. Kiakshuk’s vision of the event hums with an attention to detail and subtle perception that may not always be apparent in the depictions of supernatural subjects for which he is typically known. The scene is bustling with the energy of the Inuk workers, and keenly records the officious postures of Imperial Oil overseers.

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/.

References:

Rosemary Gilliat Eaton fonds [graphic material, textual record, cartographic material]
Rosemary Gilliat (Eaton)’s Arctic diary
Two people rolling oil drums outside in Cape Dorset, Nunavut
Two boys helping to load or unload oil drums from Mission. Aklavik, N.W.T.
Two people rolling oil drums outside in Cape Dorset, Nunavut
Kiakshuk working on a print
Men rolling oil drums, Cape Dorset, Nunavut

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