Charlie Inukpuk (born 1941) is an Inuk carver from

Nunavik Nunavik (; ; iu, ᓄᓇᕕᒃ) comprises the northern third of the province of Quebec, part of the Nord-du-Québec region and nearly coterminous with Kativik. Covering a land area of north of the 55th parallel, it is the homeland of the I ...

Early life and education

He was born in 1941, in Kotak, a place north of

Inukjuak Inukjuak ( iu, ᐃᓄᒃᔪᐊᒃ, ''Inujjuaq'' or ''Inukjuaq'' in Latin script, meaning 'The Giant') is a northern village (Inuit community) located on Hudson Bay at the mouth of the Innuksuak River in Nunavik, in the region of northern Queb ...

. His father

Johnny Inukpuk Johnny Inukpuk (Inuktitut ᔭᓇ ᐃᓇ; 1911–2007) was an important Inuit artist, known as a sculptor and storyteller. His son Charlie Inukpuk is also a sculptor. Career Johnny Inukpuk began carving in the early 1950s while living on the lan ...

was an artist; he was the eldest son. He learned to carve as a teenager, from watching his father and other local artists.

Career

His sculptures are often of local animals (including bears), kayak-making, and mothers with children. He also carved heads for dolls that his wife, Elisapee Inukpuk, would make. His work is held in many institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the

Penn Museum The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology—commonly known as the Penn Museum—is an archaeology and anthropology museum at the University of Pennsylvania. It is located on Penn's campus in the University City neighb ...

, the National Gallery of Canada, the National Museum of the American Indian, the University of Sasketchewan, and the Iowa State University Museums.

References

1941 births People from Nunavik Inuit sculptors 20th-century Canadian sculptors Inuit from Quebec Canadian male sculptors Living people 20th-century Canadian male artists {{Canada-sculptor-stub