Additional Images

Provenance:

Private Collection, Ottawa, ON

Note:

Very little information is readily available about the talented Kugluktuk (Coppermine) artist Walter Etuktu. Of the small number of significant works documented by the artist, it is his sculptures of musk oxen that stand out as a testament to his grasp of material and his vision as a sculptor.

In 1973 a sculpture in whalebone of a bird by the artist was chosen to be included in a collection assembled in collaboration between Northern Affairs Canada and the National Institute for the Blind. Criteria for the collection was “texture and form as perceived through sensitive touch. [1] The present monumental composition in whalebone and musk ox horn exemplifies Etuktu's attention to form and surface texture, the windswept hide of the subject evoked in the distinctive character of the whalebone in which the work is carved.

A closely- related sculpture in stone by the artist is held in the Lorne Balshine Collection on display at the Vancouver National Airport. [2]

(1) Duplantie, Gilles and Leslie. “The Tactile Eskimo Art Collection - Publications.gc.ca.” Department of Indian and Northern Affairs, 1973. https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/aanc-inac/R5-226-1973-eng.pdf.
(2) “Lorne Balshine Collection | YVR.” Vancouver Airport Authority. https://www.yvr.ca/en/about-yvr/art/lorne-balshine-collection.

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.