Abraham Etungat moved into the community of Kinngait in the late 1950s but was slow to take up carving, beginning only in the late 1960s. Etungat soon became one of Cape Dorset’s most important artists, however, with seven solo exhibitions, admission to the Royal Canadian Academy in 1978, and a couple of major commissions including one from the Devonian Foundation in 1981: an edition of three seven-foot bronzes Bird of Spring on public display in Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto. Etungat prided himself on his craftsmanship; large or small, his sculptures are always carefully balanced, crisply carved and beautifully finished.

Etungat’s majestic Birds of Spring are among the most recognizable Kinngait sculptural icons. This large and elegant example is featured alongside the figure of a man. We are fairly certain that the man is a self-portrait of Etungat himself, proudly showing off one of the bronze replicas of his work. We think it is important to note the subtle distinction between Tommy Nuvaqirq’s carving Man Holding an Inlaid Sculptural Plaque (Lot 42) and Etungat’s sculpture. Nuvaqirq’s plaque is a modest offering, while Etungat’s Bird of Spring represents artistic achievement, recognition, and pride

Literature: For a similar composition by Etungat see Ken Mantel ed., Tuvaq: Inuit Art and the Modern World, (Bristol, U.K.: Sansom & Co., 2010), fig. 210. For other beautiful examples of Etungat birds see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit, Heard Museum, 2006, cat. 68; Jean Blodgett, Selections from the John and Mary Robertson Collection of Inuit Sculpture, (Agnes Etherington Art Centre, 1986) cat. 18; First Arts Auction, May 2019, Lot 34. See also “Abraham Etungat, Master Sculptor” and Evelyn Blakeman, “Etungat at Home: Notes from an interview” in Arts & Culture of the North, Spring 1981, pp. 328-330.