Pitaloosie Saila, Young Loons, Very large original color lithograph, 1990

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Description

This artwork titled "Young Loons, 1990 is an original color lithograph by Canadian Inuit noted artist Pitaloosie Saila. 1942-2021. It … Read more This artwork titled "Young Loons, 1990 is an original color lithograph by Canadian Inuit noted artist Pitaloosie Saila. 1942-2021. It is hand signed, titled, dated, located, described and numbered 34/50 in pencil by the artist. The subject size is 38.75 x 23.25 inches, sheet size is 44 x 30 inches, framed is 51.75 x 37.25 inches. Custom framed in a metal frame, with grey/blue backing. It is in excellent condition.

About the artist:

Pitaloosie was born in 1942 on the southwest coast of Baffin Island near what is now the community of Cape Dorset. She spent her childhood years in various hospitals in Quebec and Ontario for treatment of tuberculosis. She learnedEnglish during this time, and recalls the difficulty she experienced in relearning her native language upon her return to Baffin Island in 1957. She is now one of the few of her generation who speak both English and Inuktitut fluently.
Pitaloosie began drawing in the early 1960’s, and quickly established herself as a versatile and intelligent graphic artist. Over the years, she has become a familiar presence in the Kinngait Studios, and her work has been included in annual print collections since 1968.
Since the late 1960’s, Pitaloosie has made frequent trips to southern Canada to attend exhibitions and conferences. In 1967, she spent several weeks in Toronto while her husband, the well-known sculptor Pauta Saila, participated in an International Sculpture Symposium. Subsequently, she has visited Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa, Kansas City and Vermont. Her work has been featured in solo drawing exhibitions, and in 1977, Canada Post issued a stamp depicting her print, Fisherman’s Dream. Her 1985 lithograph entitled In the Hills represented the Northwest Territories in the centennial celebration of the National Parks of Canada. Amnesty International, the international human rights organization, selected a drawing by Pitaloosie entitled Mother and Child to use for their 1990 Christmas card. She was also one of nine featured artists in the acclaimed exhibition Isumavut: The Artistic Expression of Nine Cape Dorset Women, which opened at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in the fall of 1994 and continues to travel to other venues. Pitaloosie’s husband, Pauta, passed away in Cape Dorset in June of 2009 at the age of 93. In 2004, both she and Pauta were appointed members of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts, in recognition of their life’s work and contributions to Canadian art.

Selected Exhibitions:
• 2019 60/60, Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto
• 2016 Pitaloosie Saila: A Print Retrospective, Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto
• Toronto
• 2003 The Inuit 2004 Sanaasimasiatok/Fine Works: Sculpture from Cape Dorset, Feheley Fine Arts, Icon: Selections from Private Collections, Feheley Fine Arts, Toronto
• 1996-1997 Pitaloosie & Pauta, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, ON
• 1994 – 1995 Isumavut: The Artistic Expression of Nine Cape Dorset Women, Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, QC
• 1993 – 1994 Contemporary Inuit Drawings, Muscarelle Museum of Art, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA
• 1991 – 1992 In Cape Dorset We Do It This Way: Three Decades of Inuit Printmaking, McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Kleinburg, ON
• 1989 – 1991 Kenojuak Ashevak, Lucy Qinnuayuak, Pitaloosie Saila – Flights of Fancy, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto
• 1988 – 1989 In the Shadow of the Sun: Contemporary Indian and Inuit Art in Canada, Canadian Museum of History, Gatineau, QC

Recognition:

In 1977, in recognition of the contribution of Inuit art to the cultural heritage of Canada, Canada Post used her 1971 print, Fisherman's Dream, as one of a series of four illustrated postage stamps. Her 1980 print, Arctic Madonna, was selected for a UNICEF greeting card in 1983.
Saila's works are included in some of the most important Inuit art collections, including those of the National Gallery of Canada, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), the Winnipeg Art Gallery, and the Canadian Museum of History.
In 2004, she was elected a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.[Continue Reading See less