JOE TALIRUNILI (1893-1976)
JOE’S ESCAPE
c. 1970, signed in Roman
4.5" x 7.5" x 2.5" — 11.4 x 19.1 x 6.4 cm.
November 16, 2015
Estimate $20,000-$30,000
Realised: $163,500
Price Realised: $163,500
A diminutive sculpture by legendary Inuit artist Joe Talirunili titled Joe’s Escape, sold for $163,500 at Waddington’s in Toronto on November 16.
The highest price for Inuit Art achieved at auction in 2015, Joe’s Escape joins the ranks of numerous record-setting prices for Inuit Art set by Waddington’s over its 35 years in the Inuit Art market.
Christa Ouimet, Head of Inuit Art at Waddington’s, notes that “Works by Joe Talirunilli, specifically Joe’s boats, which are his most collectable subject matter, routinely sell for over $100,000, and have sold as high as our record price of $290,000 set in 2012.” Ouimet adds that, “Not only is Talirunili the ‘top seller’ of all Inuit artists, the prices his works achieve are at the same level of other well-known Canadian artists.”
In the market Talirunili ranks second to Bill Reid, and outperforms most Canadian sculptors. Joe also enjoys a great deal of international interest.
Related Items
JOE TALIRUNILI, POVUNGNITUK/PUVIRNITUQ
MIGRATION
signed in Roman and syllabics, c. 1970
5 ins x 5.5 ins x 1.5 ins; 12.7 cms x 14 cms x 3.8 cms
May 30, 2016
Estimate $15,000-$20,000
Realised: $55,200
JOE TALIRUNILI (1893-1976)
THE MIGRATION
c. 1970, bears paper label with signature in Roman and syllabics
15" x 14" x 6.5" — 38.1 x 35.6 x 16.5 cm.
November 05, 2012
Estimate $100,000-$150,000
Realised: $290,000
JOE TALIRUNILI (1893-1976)
THE MIGRATION
c. 1975
11.5" x 10.5" x 3.5" — 29.2 x 26.7 x 8.9 cm.
June 02, 2014
Estimate $120,000-$140,000
Realised: $140,500
KAROO ASHEVAK (1940-1974)
SHAMAN DRUMMER
signed in syllabics
19.5" x 13" x 17" — 49.5 x 33 x 43.2 cm.
November 16, 2015
Estimate $30,000-$35,000
Realised: $50,400
Inuit Art
Waddington’s is internationally recognized as one of the leading authorities in marketing Inuit Art. No other auction house has been as intrinsically linked to the development of a market for this art form. From our first landmark auction in 1978 of the William Eccles Collection, Waddington’s has offered thousands of works, set record prices, and expanded the market well beyond Canada’s borders. Our legacy of successful Inuit Art auctions, our ability to achieve continually increasing values and our creation of an international market have been key factors in validating Inuit art as a whole and establishing it as an integral part of the Canadian Art scene.
Meet the Specialist
Rochelle Konn
Associate Specialist
Duncan McLean
President
Inuit Art, Management