Oviloo Tunnillie - Buy or Sell artwork by Oviloo Tunnillie

Oviloo Tunnillie

1949 - 2014

Settlement: Kinngait (Cape Dorset)

Oviloo Tunnillie stands alone among contemporary Inuit for her powerful sculptures: the very personal and poignant nature of their subjects set them apart from other Inuit work. Her childhood was disrupted by three years spent in southern Canadian hospitals at ages five, seven and eight, causing her to loose much of her Inukitut language and to feel discomfited by the traditional lifestyle that she had known. She began carving in 1965 at Igalaalik, learning from the example of her father, Toonoo, and others in the camp, and took it up in earnest from 1972. It was her work in the 1992 exhibition Women of the North at Marion Scott Gallery that really brought Oviloo to the fire. This was followed by the distinctive sculptures in Isumavut: The Artistic Expression of Nine Cape Dorset Women at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in 1994. Oviloo is the only Inuit artist to have explored the female nude theme. In other work, she turns upside down the expectation that Inuit art portrays traditional culture for southerners to look at. Often she reverses the gaze by depicting southern cultural images, such as athletes or dancers. She also frequently depicts herself – reflecting on her hospital experiences, her life as an artist and on the social issues of being a woman. Sedna sculptures are her only images related specifically to Inuit culture. Her work has been exhibited widely, both nationally and internationally. Among her solo exhibitions are Oviloo Tunnillie: In Two Worlds at the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1997 and Oviloo Tunnillie: Meditations on Womanhood at Marion Scott Gallery in 2008. Her brothers Jutai and Samonie are also sculptors

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Oviloo Tunnillie

Woman Dancing

9 x 4 1/2 x 6 1/4 in, 22.9 x 11.4 x 15.9 cm

stone sculpture

Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 CDN

Sold for: $12,500 CDN (premium included)

Inuit Art | Sculptures on Thursday, August 25, 2022

Oviloo Tunnillie

Dancer

29 1/2 x 10 x 11 in, 74.9 x 25.4 x 27.9 cm

1996

serpentine stone sculpture

Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000 CDN

Sold for: $9,440 CDN (premium included)

Fall 2016 - 4th Session on Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Oviloo Tunnillie

Father Carrying Daughter

30 1/2 x 8 1/2 x 11 in, 77.5 x 21.6 x 27.9 cm

serpentine stone sculpture

Estimate: $6,000 - $8,000 CDN

Sold for: $9,440 CDN (premium included)

Fall 2016 - 4th Session on Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Oviloo Tunnillie

Oviloo's Family

14 3/4 x 9 x 12 in, 37.5 x 22.9 x 30.5 cm

serpentine stone sculpture

Estimate: $8,000 - $12,000 CDN

Sold for: $8,190 CDN (premium included)

May 2010 - 4th Session on Saturday, May 29, 2010

Oviloo Tunnillie

Standing Bear

4 3/4 x 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 in, 12.1 x 6.3 x 3.8 cm

stone sculpture

Estimate: $300 - $500 CDN

Sold for: $6,250 CDN (premium included)

Inuit Sculptures on Thursday, February 23, 2023

Oviloo Tunnillie

Seated Woman

11 x 6 x 4 1/2 in, 27.9 x 15.2 x 11.4 cm

soapstone sculpture

Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000 CDN

Sold for: $2,813 CDN (premium included)

Fine Canadian Art on Saturday, June 01, 2019

Oviloo Tunnillie

Man Carving Bowl

14 x 10 x 11 in, 35.6 x 25.4 x 27.9 cm

green serpentine stone sculpture

Estimate: $3,000 - $4,000 CDN

Sold for: $2,813 CDN (premium included)

Fine Canadian Art on Saturday, June 01, 2019

Oviloo Tunnillie

Seated Man

12 x 5 x 5 in, 30.5 x 12.7 x 12.7 cm

soapstone sculpture

Estimate: $2,000 - $3,000 CDN

Sold for: $1,750 CDN (premium included)

Fine Canadian Art on Saturday, June 01, 2019

Oviloo Tunnillie

Two Birds Barrette

1 3/4 x 3 3/4 in, 4.4 x 9.5 x 1.6 cm

stone carving on metal clip

Estimate: $200 - $300 CDN

Sold for: $219 CDN (premium included)

Inuit Art on Thursday, August 31, 2023