Additional Images

Provenance:

Private collection, Toronto, ON

Note:

The joy of hearing stories told by his mother and grandmother about shamanism and traditional beliefs influenced a young David Ruben Piqtoukun and has spawned images recurring throughout the artist's career. [1] Faces of men and animals often appear in mask-like forms in Piqtoukun’s work, an image derived, as here, from a tradition of ceremonial and ritual masks in the Western Arctic.

Taut of skin and mossy in its complexion, the present figure’s contorted face and demon-like horns suggest a menacing air.

(1) Wight, Darlene Coward, Between Two Worlds: David Ruben Piqtoukun, (Winnipeg: The Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1996), 3.


Many countries prohibit or restrict importation or exportation of property containing ivory, whale bone, sealskin, and/or products derived from other endangered or protected species, and require special licenses or permits in order to import or export such property. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ensure that the item is properly and lawfully exported / imported. Please do not hesitate to contact one of our specialists for further details.