In 1989, Art Bronzes International undertook a project titled The Canadian Contemporary Sculpture Collection, of which this bear was one of the first eight works created. While the work is noted as being from the edition of 500, in conversation with First Arts, Art Bronzes international shared that this edition was never completed [1]. The actual number of works produced remains unknown. Given the rarity with which these bears appear on the market, we speculate the run was quite small.

At first glance, with its richly mottled tones, lustrous surface, and convincing sense of weight, this Dancing Bear could easily be misread as a carving in dark chlorite rather than what it truly is: a meticulously patinated and waxed cast bronze.

A familiar and iconic subject for Pauta, this charming fellow is captured mid-motion, his energy captured in time through the enduring medium of bronze. Not only does it retain all the spirit and charm of Pauta’s finest stone works but by rendering the form in bronze, Inuit art is placed in a broader sculptural tradition; one where bronze has long been the material of permanence, legacy, and artistic canon.