Conventional wisdom has it that a great “Pauta bear” should be posed dancing on one foot and depicted open-mouthed with four pronounced canine teeth. While this is often the case, there are numerous spectacular and delightful Pauta bears that go against conventional wisdom. As discussed in our description of Lot 38 (Vol. 1), Pauta had the remarkable ability to revisit his very favourite subjects – his beloved polar bears – over a career spanning many decades and somehow still manage to avoid the formulaic. Indeed, when comparing Pauta’s many bears, regardless of pose or size, we realize that Pauta was never interested in making facsimiles. Instead, each bear is entirely its own entity, invested with a unique look and personality. While diminutive in stature, this charming fellow – probably a cub – exudes personality in spades!

References: Pauta bears of various sizes and poses have been widely exhibited and published for many decades. For some examples see First Arts, 12 July 2020, Lot 46 and First Arts, 1 December 2020, Lot 55. For other important examples by the artist, see Ingo Hessel, Inuit Art: An Introduction, (Douglas & McIntyre, 1998) cover and fig. 102; from 1984 in the Sarick Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario (also illus. in Gerald McMaster, ed., Inuit Modern: The Samuel and Esther Sarick Collection, (Toronto: Art Gallery of Ontario, 2010), p. 116; Bernadette Driscoll, Uumajut: Animal Imagery in Inuit, (Winnipeg: Winnipeg Art Gallery, 1985), cat. 1; TD Bank Collection (also illus. in Canadian Eskimo Arts Council, Sculpture / Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic, (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971), fig. 158); Susan Gustavison, Northern Rock: Contemporary Inuit Stone Sculpture, (Kleinburg: McMichael Canadian Art Collection, 1999) cat. 8. See also Marion Scott Gallery, Inspiration, (1996) cat. 23.