Provenance:

The Collection of Terry Ryan;
Private Collection, Ontario

Note:

Experts are divided as to whether this work should be attributed to Kudlalak or Kellypalik Mangitak. A carved tusk by the former is believed by James Houston and others to be the source image for this print, while Jonassie Salamonie, Mangitak’s wife, and Terry Ryan attribute the print to the latter.

The present example is a rare and possibly unique trial proof of Geese Rising from the collection of Terry Ryan.

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.”

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.

References:
Sandra Buhai Barz, Inuit Artists Print Workbook, Volume III, Book 1: Indexes and Biographies, (New York: Arts & Culture of the North, 2004), 15
Sandra Buhai Barz, Inuit Artists Print Workbook, Volume III, Book 2: Print Documentation, (New York: Arts & Culture of the North, 2004), 359
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/.