Lot 10
KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)
Festive Owl, 1970 #1

stonecut, 24 x 33.5 in (61 x 85.1 cm)

Provenance
A California Collection;
By descent to the present Private Collection, Texas.

Owls proliferate in Kenojuak’s art. She created countless drawings and prints that, unfettered by concerns of straightforward representations of the birds, instead emphasized the majesty of their nature. In Festive Owl, Kenojuak has eliminated the talons altogether and concentrates on the plumage, laying asymmetrical fronds behind the bird to emphasize its centrality and importance. Three triangular elements, inked by Iyola Kingwatsiak in rich reddish browns, spring from the owl’s head like a crown to reinforce the full measure of its magnificence.



References

This image reproduced in Richard Simmins, “Success spoiling Eskimo Art”, The Province, Vancouver, 5 November 1970, p. 33; Mary M. Craig, “The Cape Dorset Prints,” Inuit Art: An Anthology, (Winnipeg: Watson & Dwyer Publishing Ltd., 1988), p. 57, as Festive Bird [sic].