Karoo Ashevak Art for Sale at Auction

Sculptor

KAROO ASHEVAK (MUNGNELLI)

Born: 1940 Male E4-196
Died: October, 1974
Resided: Taloyoak
Sculpture

"In the short span of an artistic career that lasted only about four years
before his death in 1974, Karoo Ashevak established himself as one of the
major contemporary Inuit sculptors. Working primarily in whalebone, using
stone, antler, ivory and baleen mostly for insets and embellishments, Karoo
carved spirits, shamans, walruses, bears, birds, human figures and heads.
These works are characterized by a lively sense of animation, religious
undertones, humour and an assured and acccomplished sculptural genius."


Jean Blodgett, from
Grasp Tight the Old Ways 1983

EXHIBITIONS:

June - July 1970 Sculpture
Canadian Eskimo Arts Council
a competition/exhibition organized as
a contribution to the Centennial of the
N.W.T.
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
(illustrated catalogue)

June - September 1973 Cultures of the Sun and the Snow:
Indian and Eskimo Art of the Americas
Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal
held at "Man and His World"
Montreal, Quebec
(illustrated catalogue)

December 1973 Spirits by Karoo Ashevak and Other
Sculptors of Spence Bay
Franz Bader Gallery
Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

1974 Inuit Sculpture 1974/Sculpture Inuit 1974
Lippel Gallery
Montreal, Quebec
(illustrated catalogue)

March - July 1975 Art/Inuit/Art: The Rothmans Permanent
Collection of Eskimo Sculpture
Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada Ltd.
Toronto, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

Oct 1975 - Dec 1977 Inuit Games/Inuit Pinguangit/Jeux des inuit
Department of Indian Affairs and
Northern Development
Ottawa, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated brochure)

March 1977 White Sculpture of the Inuit
Simon Fraser Gallery,
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)

March - June 1978 The Coming and Going of the Shaman:
Eskimo Shamanism and Art
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(illustrated catalogue)

March - April 1979 Sculpture of the Inuit: Lorne Balshine
Collection/Lou Osipov Collection/
Dr. Harry Winrob Collection
Surrey Art Gallery
Surrey, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)

July 1979 - May 1980 Inuit Art in the 1970s
Department of Indian Affairs
and Northern Development, and the
Agnes Etherington Art Centre
Kingston, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

Nov - Dec 1979 Rothmans' Collection of Inuit Sculpture
Kitchener - Waterloo Art Gallery
Waterloo, Ontario

February - March 1980 First Annual Collectors' Invitational Exhibition
Inuk 1/Eskimo Art
San Francisco, California, U.S.A.

April 1980 Whalebone Carvings and Inuit Prints
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Art Gallery
St. John's, Newfoundland
(illustrated catalogue)

April - May 1980 The Klamer Family Collection of Inuit
Art from the Art Gallery of Ontario
University of Guelph
Guelph, Ontario
(illustrated catalogue)

Apr 1981 - Mar 1982 Inuit Art: A Selection of Inuit Art from
the Collection of the National Museum of
Man, Ottawa, and the Rothmans Permanent
Collection of Inuit Sculpture, Canada
National Museum of Man, Ottawa and
Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada Ltd.
Toronto, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

May - Sep 1981 Spirits and Shamans/Esprits et chamans
Department of Indian Affairs and Northern
Development
Ottawa, Ontario

October 1981 Inuit Masks
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)

April 1982 Sculpture Inuit: Stone/Bone
circa 1960-1979
Canadiana Galleries
Edmonton, Alberta

October - Dec 1982 Collector's Choice: 1965-1980
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)

May 1983 - April 1985 Grasp Tight the Old Ways: Selections from
the Klamer Family Collection of Inuit Art
Art Gallery of Ontario
Toronto, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

Oct - Dec 1983 Inuit Masterworks: Selections from
the Collection of Indian and Northern
Affairs Canada
McMichael Canadian Collection
Kleinburg, Ontario

Nov 1984 - Feb 1985 Stones, Bones, Cloth, and Paper:
Inuit Art in Edmonton Collections
Edmonton Art Gallery
Edmonton, Alberta

1985 - 1986 Sanaugasi Takujaksat: A Travelling
Celebration of Inuit Sculpture
Presented by Canadian Arctic Producers
Ltd., with the assistance of
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada,
Ottawa
(tour)
(illustrated brochure)

March - May 1985 Uumajut: Animal Imagery in Inuit Art
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(illustrated catalogue)

December 1985 Masterwork Sculpture 1985
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)

May - June 1986 The Spirit of the Land
The Koffler Gallery
Toronto, Ontario
(illustrated brochure)

July - September 1986 Contemporary Inuit Art
National Gallery of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
(illustrated brochure)

Jul 1986 - Feb 1988 Selections from the John and Mary Robertson
Collection of Inuit Art
Agnes Etherington Art Centre
Queen's University
Kingston, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

1987 Collectable Sculpture 1987
Webster Galleries
Calgary, Alberta
(illustrated catalogue)

June - September 1988 Building on Strengths: New Inuit Art
from the Collection
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba

December 1988 - 1989 Im Schatten der Sonne:Zeitgenossische Kunst
der Indianer und Eskimos in Kanada/In the
Shadow of the Sun:Contemporary Indian and Inuit
Art in Canada
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Ottawa, Ontario
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

Jan - Feb 1989 The Early Years: Sculpture from the 50's and 60's
The Innuit Gallery of Eskimo Art
Toronto, Ontario
(illustrated brochure)

May 1989 Kitikmeot
Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
(illustrated catalogue)

June 1989 Masters of the Arctic: An Exhibition
of Contemporary Inuit Masterworks
Presented by the Amway Corporation
at the United Nations General Assembly
New York, New York, U.S.A.
(tour)
(illustrated catalogue)

1990 Inuit Art From the Glenbow Collection
Glenbow Museum
Calgary, Alberta

Jan - Sep 1990 Arctic Mirror
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Hull, Quebec

February - June 1991 Granville Island Canadian Inuit Sculpture
Exhibition (first exhibition)
Vancouver Inuit Art Society
Vancouver, British Columbia

Nov 1993 - Mar 1994 The Inuit Imagination
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba

March - July 1995 Immaginario Inuit
Arte e cultura degli esquimesi canadesi
Galleria d'Arte Moderna
e Contemporanea
Verona, Italy
(illustrated catalogue)

SOLO EXHIBITIONS:

March 1972 Karoo Ashevak Sculpture
The Innuit Gallery of Eskimo Art
Toronto, Ontario

January - February 1973 Karoo Ashevak: Spirits
American Indian Arts Centre
New York, New York, U.S.A.
(illustrated catalogue)

March 1973 Karoo Ashevak Whalebone Sculpture
Lippel Gallery
Montreal, Quebec

March - June 1977 Karoo Ashevak
Winnipeg Art Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(illustrated catalogue)

April 1977 Karoo Ashevak 1940 - 1974 Sculpture
The Upstairs Gallery
Winnipeg, Manitoba
(illustrated catalogue)

Oct 1994 - Mar 1995 Karoo in Ottawa
National Gallery of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario

COLLECTIONS:

Amon Carter Museum of Western Art, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A.
Amway Environmental Foundation Collection, Ada, Michigan, U.S.A.
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Quebec
Glenbow Museum, Calgary, Alberta
Inuit Cultural Institute, Rankin Inlet, Northwest Territories
Klamer Family Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, Ontario
Musee des beaux-arts de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Rothmans Permanent Collection of Eskimo Sculpture, Toronto, Ontario
Sarick Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Ontario
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
Winnipeg Art Gallery, Winnipeg, Manitoba

HONOURS, ACHIEVEMENTS and EVENTS:

1970 Received a third award and an honourable mention in the Northwest
Territories Sculpture competition.

1973 Attended the opening of his solo exhibition at the American Indian
Arts Centre, New York.

1989 Karoo's "Spirit" carving was on the cover of the Winter issue of Inuit Art
Quarterly magazine.

SELECTED REFERENCES:


IM SCHATTEN DER SONNE: Zeitgenoessische Kunst der Indianer und
Eskimos in Kanada. [In the Shadow of the Sun: Contemporary Art
of the Indians and Eskimos in Canada]. Stuttgart: Edition
Cantz. Ottawa: Canadian Museum of Civilization, 1988.


MASTERS OF THE ARCTIC: An Exhibition of Contemporary Inuit
Masterworks. Ada, Michigan: Amway Corporation, 1989.

American Indian Arts Center
KAROO ASHEVAK: Spirits. New York: American Indian Arts Center,
1973.

Blodgett, Jean
GRASP TIGHT THE OLD WAYS: Selections from the Klamer Family
Collection of Inuit Art. Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 1983.

Blodgett, Jean
KAROO ASHEVAK. Winnipeg: The Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1977.

Blodgett, Jean
KAROO ASHEVAK: IN The Canadian Encyclopedia, James H. Marsh,
editor-in-chief. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers, 2:933, 1985.

Blodgett, Jean
SELECTIONS FROM THE JOHN AND MARY ROBERTSON COLLECTION OF INUIT
SCULPTURE. Kingston, Ont. : Queens University, The Agnes
Etherington Art Centre, 1986.

Blodgett, Jean
THE COMING AND GOING OF THE SHAMAN: Eskimo Shamanism and Art.
Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1979.

Bromfield, Abjon
OPERATION WHALEBONE. North, vol. 16, no. 6, November-December,
1969. pp.1-7.

Canadian Eskimo Arts Council
SCULPTURE. Ottawa: Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, 1970.

Cook, Cynthia
KAROO IN OTTAWA: Transcending the Specifics of Inuit Heritage.
Inuit Art Quarterly, 10(2) Summer 1995, pp. 32-37.

Driscoll, Bernadette
UUMAJUT: Animal Imagery in Inuit art. Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art
Gallery, 1985.

Government of the Northwest Territories
ANAIJA AND KAROO [ASHEVAK]. Produced by the Department of
Industry and Development of the Government of the Northwest
Territories; directed by Andrew J. Steen with Jean Oser, 1971.

Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
COLLECTOR'S CHOICE: 1965 - 1980. Vancouver: Inuit Gallery, l982.

Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
INUIT MASKS. Vancouver: Inuit Gallery, n.d.

Inuit Gallery of Vancouver
KITIKMEOT. Vancouver: Inuit Gallery of Vancouver, 1989.

Koffler Gallery
THE SPIRIT OF THE LAND. North York, Ont. : Jewish Community
Centre, 1986.

Lippel Gallery Inc.
INUIT SCULPTURE 1974/SCULPTURE INUIT 1974. Montreal: Lippel
Gallery Inc, 1974.

McNeill, Robin
THE SPIRIT WORLD OF KAROO ASHEVAK. North/Nord, vol. 22, no. 6,
November-December, 1975. pp.2-5.

Memorial University of Newfoundland. Art Gallery
WHALE BONE CARVINGS AND INUIT PRINTS. St. John's: Memorial
University of Newfoundland. Art Gallery, 1980.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
CULTURES OF THE SUN AND THE SNOW = CULTURES DU SOLEIL ET DE LA
NEIGE. Montreal: Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, 1973.

Moore, Lisa
ART OF THE INUIT. The Whig Standard Magazine, August 2, 1986.

Oxorn, Pearl
AESTHETICS OF ESKIMO ART: Comparison with Other Cultures and
Visual Elements of Style. (Part II). Arts & Culture of the
North, vol. 5, no. 2, Spring, 1981. pp. 330-333.

Rothmans of Pall Mall Canada Limited
ART/INUIT/ART: La Collection Permanente de Sculpture
Esquimaudes Rothmans/The Rothmans Permanent Collection of Eskimo
Sculpture. No publication information, 1975.

Routledge, Marie
INUIT ART IN THE 1970s/L'ART INUIT ACTUEL: 1970-79. Kingston,
Ont. : The Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 1979.

Seidelman, Harold and James Turner
THE INUIT IMAGINATION: Arctic Myth and Sculpture.
Vancouver/Toronto: Douglas & McIntyre, 1993.

Simon Fraser Gallery
WHITE SCULPTURE OF THE INUIT. Burnaby: The Simon Fraser
Gallery, 1977.

Surrey Art Gallery
SCULPTURE OF THE INUIT: Lorne Balshine Collection/Lou Osipov
Collection/Dr. Harry Winrob Collection. Surrey: The Surrey Art
Gallery, 1978.

Svensson, Tom G.
ETHNIC ART IN THE NORTHERN FOURTH WORLD: THE NETSILIK. in:
ETUDES INUIT STUDIES, Vol. 19, No.1, pp. 69-102, 1995.

Upstairs Gallery
KAROO ASHEVAK 1940-1974: Sculpture. Winnipeg: The Upstairs
Gallery, 1977.

Verona. Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
IMMAGINARIO INUIT: ARTE E CULTURA DEGLI ESQUIMESICANADESI.
Commune di Verona: Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di
Palazzo Forti, 1995.

Wight, Darlene
BUILDING ON STRENGTHS: New Inuit Art from the Collection.
Tableau, vol. 1, no.5, 1988. p.4.

Wight, Darlene
COMMUNITY PROFILES: THE CENTRAL ARCTIC. Inuit Art and Crafts,
no.2, December 1984. pp. 4-21.