The auction will start at 6:00 on Wednesday, November 18th.
Walker’s is proud to present our ninth auction of Inuit and First Nations art, Wednesday, November 18, 2015 in Ottawa. This auction is a special one for us in several ways. We are privileged to have the opportunity to offer the first installment of masterpieces from the Albrecht Collection. In the space of a dozen years, Dan and Martha Albrecht created one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Arctic art in the world: ivory masterpieces from the ancient Bering Strait cultures; fine classic and contemporary Inuit works from Canada; older and modern works from Alaska, Greenland and Siberia; as well as some excellent Northwest Coast First Nations works. The Canadian Inuit collection is truly impressive in scope; Dan and Martha were keen to collect sculpture in all its forms, but also prints and drawings, textile hangings and clothing, and more. As many of you know, I was a friend, adviser and collaborator to the Albrechts. I helped them build a library of books and catalogues, and occasionally advised them on specific purchases. More importantly, I worked with them on the Arctic Spirit travelling exhibition and catalogue for the Heard Museum, where I was appointed Albrecht Adjunct Curator of Inuit Art between 2006 and 2010, and travelled to the Arctic with them several times. These trips, which began as “getting acquainted” trips for Dan and Martha, evolved into research trips for the exhibition, and chances to meet hundreds of Inuit artists, many of whom were already my friends and soon became friends to Dan and Martha as well. Dan and Martha loved Inuit art with a passion, and literally spent years working in the Inuit vaults at the Heard when they weren’t travelling to Inuit art exhibitions or to the Arctic. Working with the Albrecht Collection brings back many memories, and makes me feel a certain sense of responsibility to find good new homes for these works. We are also privileged to have many other exceptional Canadian Inuit, First Nations and Greenlandic works in the auction from collections across North America. Of particular note are a number of fine small-scale and Greenlandic works from the collection of the late Lorne Balshine. We are especially pleased to offer so many First Nations works of outstanding quality, and are grateful to the distinguished Northwest Coast curator and scholar Steven C. Brown for providing us with his enlightening commentaries on several works. As always, we are grateful to our many consigning and buying clients. We hope you will enjoy our catalogue, our most comprehensive ever. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments or suggestions. Ingo Hessel Head, Inuit & First Nations Art