Lot 112
AUGUSTIN ANAROSUK (1917-1976) ARVIAT (ESKIMO POINT)
Seated Mother Holding Her Two Children, mid-late 1960s
stone, 6 x 11.25 x 4.25 in (15.2 x 28.6 x 10.8 cm)
unsigned.
ESTIMATE: $1,200— $1,800
PRICE REALIZED: $1,200
Provenance
A Montreal Collection.
Almost nothing is known about Anarosuk; we know that he was carving at least as early as 1962. Presumably he was not prolific, but this fine work can be considered a classic Arviat sculpture from the period of the mid-late 1960s. It reminds us of contemporaneous pieces by the great Elizabeth Nutaraaluk (1914-1998). There are sculptures by Anarosuk in the Swinton Collection at the Winnipeg Art Gallery (from 1970) and at the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale (from 1962), but neither work has been published.
Reference: For a haunting sculpture by the artist depicting many faces from the late 1960s, see Walker's Auctions, Nov. 2016, Lot 253.