Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970 [Hardcover]

Maria von Finckenstein (Editor), Adrienne Clarkson (Foreword), James Houston (Contributor), Ann Meekitjuk Hanson (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2000

Lavishly illustrated with more than 100 color photographs, Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970 is an impressive tribute to an art form that was virtually unknown fifty years ago and is now regularly featured in major art exhibitions worldwide.

The works of art in this book are organized by geographic area, to illustrate the strong regional styles of this unique art form. In Nunavik, narrative is emphasized, whereas the works of Baffin artists stress the beauty of the richly textured local stone. In Keewatin, the sculptures look pre-historic yet modern, while the work of the Kitikmeot is distinguished by its shamanic whalebone carvings. Quotes, reminiscences and historic snapshots provide introductions to individual Northern communities.

In a major and invaluable essay, James Houston, a tireless and passionate champion and respected authority on Inuit art, recounts his experiences and observations of fifty years with the Inuit people.

The stunning photos, taken by Museum photographer Harry Foster, illustrate major pieces from the Canadian Museum of Civilization as well as treasures from James Houston's personal collection.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Faced with government pressure to move to settled locations in the 1940s, the Inuit of the Canadian Arctic welcomed James Houston's enthusiasm for their artistry. Houston set up a cooperative and brought a new source of income to the Inuit while popularizing and preserving one of the most moving and fluid forms of art in the world. This volume, which focuses on the carvings, offers a somewhat specialized view of the golden age of Inuit art from 1948 to 1970. Vibrant carvings from Houston's own collection and that of the Canadian Museum of Civilization (CMC) in Hull, Quebec, are covered in elegant and ample illustrations (there are 150 plates). Many captions have little to do with the art; but the emotion, abstract forms, joy, and animism of these works glow from the pages. The text comprises CMC curator von Finckenstein's succinct, lucid introduction to the economic and social context; journalist Ann Meekitjuk Hanson's account of one artist's transition; and Houston's recollections of discovering the native talent and developing it in the 1940s and 1950s (though, strangely, he focuses on printmaking). For broader coverage of prints, tapestries, and other and more recent art forms, see Ingo Hessel's Inuit Art (LJ 11/1/98); for a detailed history and development, see Richard C. Crandall's Inuit Art: A History (LJ 2/1/00). Recommended for larger art and Native American collections.
-Gay W. Neale, Meredithville, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

If you can have only one book on Inuit sculpture in your library, let it be this one. Not only do the fabulous photographs in it, which present, with exquisite clarity of detail, carvings of bone and stone from the various art collectives of northern Canada--more widely known for their prints than their sculpture--recommend it. So do the absorbing accompanying essays, which include a substantial memoir by non-Inuit anthropologist James Houston, who assisted in the original formation of the art collectives and tirelessly promoted the artists; a significant survey of the works of one of the finest carvers, George Pitseolak, by Ann Meekitjuk Hanson; and a moving chapter by editor von Finckenstein, in which the artists themselves speak of their motivations for creating and continuing to create their world-renowned artwork. In addition, a generous note describing the piece depicted and often its creator accompanies each colorplate. Informative and even scholarly, the book still never for a moment lacks passion for its subject or for the rich but threatened culture that is these artworks' seedbed. Patricia Monaghan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Key Porter Books (February 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552631044
• ISBN-13: 978-1552631041
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 9.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,693,482 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Where's the Book?, April 15, 2007

By 

Jerold M. Cohen "Jerry Cohen" (Woodstock, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Celebrating Inuit Art 1948-1970 (Hardcover)

I have ordered this book twice on Amazon. Each time I have received multiple emails from Amazon telling me the order has been delayed and giving me a new shipping date. Eventually, I just throw my hands up and stop approving the delays because it becomes apparent they don't have and likely never will have copies of this book in stock.