Originally from Igloolik, Henry Evaluardjuk began carving there and actively carved while living on northern Baffin Island throughout the 1950s. Diagnosed with tuberculosis, he was hospitalized at a sanitorium in Hamilton where he continued to carve throughout his rehabilitation. Upon his release he settled in Frobisher Bay (now Iqaluit) where he was hired to supervise the rehab arts program.

In the pantheon of polar bear sculptors there are but two great masters: Pauta Saila (see Lots 38 & 80) and Evaluardjuk. While Evaluardjuk produced a wide variety of subjects in his lengthy career (see Lot 82), his polar bears were so extraordinary that he literally dominated the “bear market” throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Owning a “Henry bear” is still an almost mandatory requirement for many collectors of Inuit art! Like Pauta, Henry eschewed the formulaic, investing each bear with its own personality. Bear at the Floe Edge, an exceptionally large and truly impressive example, depicts a polar bear probably entering a crouching position – making itself smaller to avoid detection as it stalks potential prey, or in preparation to launch itself from the floe edge. Evaluardjuk is justly famous for his ability to depict sleek bears in all manner of naturalistic walking and stalking poses.

References: For fine examples of “Henry bears” in various poses see First Arts, 28 May 2019, Lot 22; 12 July 2020; Lot 111; 30 November 2021, Lot 92; 5 December 2022, Lot 136; 4 December 2023, Lot 117.