Nunavik
(1910–1976)
(1910–1976)
Davidialuk Alasua Amittu (1910-1976) is one of the two best-known artists from Puvirnituq, along with his cousin, Joe Talirunili. A great Inuit storyteller-artist, he recounted legends passed down through the generations in his sculptures, drawings, and prints. He grew up in the family’s main camp, at the mouth of the Kugaaluq River, and was named after his grandfather, Davidialuk Alasua, and his father, Amittu. His earliest carvings were created in the early 1950s. By 1958, he carved Mythological Bird, one of his largest and most imposing works. It refers to the story of a village whose women, and then children, were transformed into gulls. Like many Inuit myths, the story encompasses themes of transformation, loss, and the origins of new lifeforms. Davidialuk’s art works have been included in many exhibitions and were the subject of Bernard Saladin d'Anglure’s book La Parole changée en pierre (Quebec. 1978).
About
While the arctic offers harsh living conditions that make it challenging for wildlife to grow, there are known to be 100 species of spiders surviving in the arctic. Among these species is the arctic wolf spider, known for its strong legs and wolf-like pounce when attacking prey. Unlike most spiders that use a web to catch prey, the wolf spider prefers the hunt.
About
In 1971, the monumental Jerry Twomey Collection of 4,000 Inuit carvings was acquired by the WAG. Twomey was a geneticist and a co-founder of Winnipeg’s T&T Seeds. Beginning in 1952 and throughout the 1950s and 1960s, he collected sculpture from virtually every art-producing Inuit community. He was fascinated by the distribution of artistic talent within families and across generations and collected the work of individual artists in depth.
In 1969, Twomey decided to retire from the seed business and move to California to breed roses full-time. The disposition of his collection became a matter for intense negotiation with a number of museums and collectors. George Swinton persuaded then Premier Edward Schreyer of the collection’s importance and in August 1971 Schreyer quickly signed an Order-in-Council to raise $185,000, or two-thirds of the funds required to purchase the collection for the WAG. In June 1972, James Richardson, then federal minister of supply and services, presented a cheque for the remaining $75,000 at a ceremony at the Gallery. To celebrate both the opening of the new Gallery building on Memorial Boulevard and the acquisition of the Twomey Collection, a small show was installed in 1972. In 2003, a comprehensive WAG exhibition and catalogue revealed the incomparable record of the development of Inuit art in the 1950s and 1960s provided by the Twomey Collection.
