Arctic Wildlife: The Art of the Inuit

Patricia Morley is professor emeritus of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University and the author of Margaret Laurence: The Long
Journey Home and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

This fine bilingual catalogue with many black-and-white illustrations
celebrates the permanent Inuit collection of the Montreal Museum of Fine
Arts. Guest curator Nelda Swinton chose wildlife as the focus of this
exhibition, since most Inuit art reflects the profound respect felt by
this people for their environment and for the creatures who share it
with them.

Chapters cover prehistory, historic and contemporary art periods,
contemporary Inuit life, and art with a wildlife theme. Black-and-white
photographs of ivory and stone sculptures, and stonecut prints, display
the striking imagination and technical skills that combine with the love
and respect for wildlife shown in the work of Inuit artists. As carver
David Ruben Piqtoukun observes, this art reflects “the wisdom of the
centuries.”

One hopes that many of these pieces (which any museum would envy) are
on permanent display in Montreal. The catalogue includes a selected
bibliography.