Napachie Pootoogook

Napachie Pootoogook, Sedna breast-feeding her child

26 x 20 in.

Provenance: Wagonfeld Collection
References: for a related drawing by the artist see Walker’s May 2017 (Lot 31). See also the WAG solo exhibition catalogue by Ryan and Wight (2004) and the feature article on the artist by Ryan in the Fall 2005 issue of IAQ.

Napachie Pootoogook was the only surviving daughter of Pitseolak Ashoona, a seminal figure in Inuit graphic art. Her brothers Kiugak, Qaqaq and Kumwartok Ashoona were known for their highly individualistic and well-executed carvings. Napachie created a large body of graphics that depicted traditional life; this drawing is something of a departure for its spirtual content, but the tender treatment of the subject obviously draws on mother-child interactions in daily life.

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