Mark Tungilik (1913?–1986) was an Inuit sculptor from Nunavut who specialized in miniature ivory carvings.

Early life edit

Tungilik was born in either 1904 or 1913 in the Spence Bay area. He later moved to Pelly Bay and then Naujaat.[1][2]

Career edit

In 1945 Roman Catholic missionaries encouraged Tungilik to start carving ivory.[2][3] One of the pieces he carved was presented to Pope Pius XII in 1948.[3] He was known to bring his carvings with him on his boat, to work on them while hunting.[4]

Tungilik's work often depicts Arctic animals, including seals,[5] weasels,[6] caribou,[7][8] muskoxes,[9][10] owls,[11] polar bears,[12][13] and walruses.[5][14] Many of his pieces also depict hunting scenes,[3][15][16][17] as well as Christian religious imagery.[4][18]

In 2013, one of Tungilik's carvings of a muskox was featured on an episode of Antiques Roadshow.[19]

Tungilik's work is held in several museums worldwide, including the Canadian Museum of Civilization,[1] the University of Michigan Museum of Art,[10][20] the Museum of Anthropology at University of British Columbia,[1][21] the Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec,[1] the National Gallery of Canada,[1][22] the University of Lethbridge Art Gallery,[1] the Winnipeg Art Gallery,[1][23] the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,[1] the Art Gallery of Toronto,[1] Portland Art Museum,[24] and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.[1][25][26]

In his older age, Tungilik began to lose his vision, but continued carving.[4]

His grandson Jesse Tungilik is a multidisciplinary artist.[27][28]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "KATILVIK - Artist: Mark Tungilik - ᒪᑭ ᑕᒐᓕ - E3-320". www.katilvik.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  2. ^ a b "Inventory Detail Page". Waddingtons.ca. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  3. ^ a b c Lutz, Maija M. (2012-11-12). Hunters, Carvers, and Collectors: The Chauncey C. Nash Collection of Inuit Art. Harvard University Press. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-87365-407-4.
  4. ^ a b c "The man who never stopped carving". Nunatsiaq News. 2019-08-27. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  5. ^ a b "WALRUS AND SEALS". Feheley Fine Arts - Inuit Art Gallery. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  6. ^ "KATILVIK - Artwork WEASEL AND YOUNG by Mark Tungilik". www.katilvik.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  7. ^ "Sold Price: MARK TUNGILIK (1913-1986), CARIBOU PAIR, stone, ivory, 1". invaluable.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  8. ^ "KATILVIK - Artwork CARIBOU by Mark Tungilik". www.katilvik.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  9. ^ "Mark Tungilik presented by Galerie Elca London". www.elcalondon.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  10. ^ a b "Exchange: Muskox". exchange.umma.umich.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  11. ^ "FAMILY OF OWLS by MarkTungilik". www.artnet.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  12. ^ "Polar bear by MarkTungilik". www.artnet.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  13. ^ "Sold Price: MARK TUNGILIK (1913-1986), POLAR BEAR, ivory, 1.5". invaluable.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  14. ^ "Tungilik Mark | Repulse Bay, Legend of the Muskox and Walrus (1970) | MutualArt". www.mutualart.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  15. ^ "BOW HUNTER AND TWO BIRDS by MarkTungilik". www.artnet.com. 1968. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  16. ^ "Mark Tungilik presented by Galerie Elca London". www.elcalondon.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  17. ^ "KATILVIK - Artwork HUNTER ATTACKING BEAR by Mark Tungilik". www.katilvik.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  18. ^ "Angel by MarkTungilik". www.artnet.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  19. ^ "Antiques Roadshow | PBS". Antiques Roadshow | PBS. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  20. ^ "Exchange: Muskox". exchange.umma.umich.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  21. ^ "Collection Online | Museum of Anthropology at UBC". collection-online.moa.ubc.ca. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  22. ^ "Marc Tungilik". www.gallery.ca. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  23. ^ Zoratti, Jen (2019-08-12). "Aug 2019: Inuit artists recreate landscapes and oral histories in pocket-sized carvings". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  24. ^ "Mark Tungilik". portlandartmuseum.us. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  25. ^ "Mark Tungilik | Stone Musk Ox | Inuit". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  26. ^ "Mark Tungilik | Stone Mother and Child Figure". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2021-02-03.
  27. ^ Igloliorte, Heather (2017). "Curating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit: Inuit Knowledge in the Qallunaat Art Museum". Art Journal. 76 (2): 100–113. doi:10.1080/00043249.2017.1367196. ISSN 0004-3249. JSTOR 45142476. S2CID 191581564.
  28. ^ "Jesse Tungilik | Quark Expeditions". www.quarkexpeditions.com. Retrieved 2021-02-03.