Osuitok Ipeelee is arguably the greatest Inuit sculptor of all time. In Cape Dorset he set the standards for both workmanship and imagination, and played a large part in shaping the community’s sculptural style. Osuitok loved to move back and forth between different subjects and styles, always looking for new challenges, but he will probably be best remembered for his elegant depictions of caribou; see First Arts Auction, July 2021, Lot 27 for a superlative example from c. 1987-88.

One of Osuitok’s sons, Tuqiqi (born 1952), went on to make a name for himself as a carver of semi-abstract works. Another son, Sangani (born 1961), chose to follow more closely in his father’s footsteps. Osuitok was very proud of Sangani, occasionally suggesting that his son would eventually surpass him. Sangani eventually became an only occasional carver, but the father and son worked together closely in the mid 1980s.

Rearing Caribou is the result of close collaboration between the two artists. The sculpture clearly displays Osuitok’s signature style and brilliant theatrical flair. The gorgeous arc of the animal’s pose - reminiscent of Osuitok’s Kneeling Caribou of 1970 in the Canadian Museum of History collection (see references) - is balanced beautifully by the elegant antlers. The details of the caribou’s head, neck, and hooves also are pure Osuitok. It is perhaps the slightly more sturdy look of the animal’s body that suggests Sangani’s contribution. But apparently Osuitok felt that Sangani had worked hard enough on the sculpture to merit using his own signature; we think of it as an act of parental love and generosity.

One can be excused for thinking this superb sculpture is purely Osuitok’s creation. The work was originally sold as an Osuitok, and we were sure it was one too until we found Sangani’s very faint signature. A very similar work assigned solely to Osuitok was sold at auction in 2017.

References: For a very similarly styled caribou by Osuitok from 1970, see Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971), fig. 143, and George Swinton, Sculpture of the Inuit, (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1972, revised 1992), fig. 431. For a photo of Osuitok working on another similarly styled caribou from 1983, see Jean Blodgett, “Osuitok Ipeelee” in Alma Houston, ed., Inuit Art: An Anthology, (Winnipeg, Watson & Dwyer, 1987), p. 43. For the very similar work sold at auction as an Osuitok see Waddington’s Auctions, November 2017, Lot 63.