First Arts company logo
First Arts
Skip to main content
  • Menu
  • Home
  • Available Artworks
  • Auctions & Exhibitions
  • About
  • SERVICES
  • News & Blog
Menu

Artworks

Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET), Pyramid of Owls, c. 2003-04

KENOJUAK ASHEVAK, C.C., R.C.A. (1927-2013) KINNGAIT (CAPE DORSET)

Pyramid of Owls, c. 2003-04
coloured pencil and graphite on paper, 26 x 40 in (66 x 101.6 cm)
signed, "ᑭᓄᐊᔪᐊ".
Lot 54
ESTIMATE: $8,000 — $12,000
PRICE REALIZED: $20,400.00
View on a Wall
For several decades, drawings in Kinngait served primarily as an image bank for the local print program. As the 1980s unfolded, a subtle crescendo of public appreciation began to emerge,...
Read more

For several decades, drawings in Kinngait served primarily as an image bank for the local print program. As the 1980s unfolded, a subtle crescendo of public appreciation began to emerge, propelled by group and solo exhibitions at select public and commercial galleries. By the 1990s, the once overlooked drawings had blossomed into coveted artifacts among discerning collectors. Within the Kinngait Studio's nurturing environment, artists found encouragement to experiment with various mediums and paper sizes to articulate their visions. Given her virtuosity and success in all other mediums, Kenojuak's swift ascendancy to prominence in large-scale drawings came as no surprise.


With her masterful use of coloured pencil and ink, Kenojuak's prowess in this new artistic landscape is brilliantly demonstrated by Pyramid of Owls. The faces of six smaller owls are layered below a large owl, from whose head emanate multicoloured flowers and leaves that envelope the entire group. The composition's pyramidal shape, complemented by pleasing vertical symmetry, imbues the avian scene with a sense of harmony and stability. Meticulous ink strokes define the downy plumage of the owls while the foliage is a riot of flat, free flowing colour. The benign eyes of the owls invite the viewer into their world. With their slightly open mouths, it is tempting for us to imagine a choir of owls in which the undulating foliage signifies the notes of happy, joyful music.
Close full details

Provenance

Collection of John and Joyce Price, Seattle.
Share
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Email

FIRST ARTS PREMIERS INC.  
 647-286-5012   |    info@firstarts.ca 

 

The main office of First Arts Premiers Inc. is located on the ancestral and traditional territories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Huron-Wendat, the original owners and custodians of this land.  Today, it is home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples.

 

 

 

Join Our Mailing List

 

JOIN

 

 

 

Facebook, opens in a new tab.
Instagram, opens in a new tab.
Send an email
Manage cookies
Copyright © 2025 First Arts
Site by Artlogic

This website uses cookies
This site uses cookies to help make it more useful to you. Please contact us to find out more about our Cookie Policy.

Manage cookies
Accept

Cookie preferences

Check the boxes for the cookie categories you allow our site to use

Cookie options
Required for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
Improve your experience on the website by storing choices you make about how it should function.
Allow us to collect anonymous usage data in order to improve the experience on our website.
Allow us to identify our visitors so that we can offer personalised, targeted marketing.
Save preferences
Close

Join our mailing list

Join

* denotes required fields

We will process the personal data you have supplied in accordance with our privacy policy (available on request). You can unsubscribe or change your preferences at any time by clicking the link in our emails.