Attributed to Manasie Akpaliapik (b. 1955), Ikpiar

Updated September 18, 2026

Attributed to Manasie Akpaliapik (Canadian Inuk, b. 1955), Ikpiarjuk (Arctic Bay), a striking and unusually expansive Inuit whalebone sculpture incorporating a powerfully modelled human or shamanic face within the natural architecture of the bone, measuring 23 x 4 1/4 x 9 1/4 in. (58.4 x 10.8 x 23.5 cm). The composition exploits the sweeping bilateral form of what appears to be a large whale vertebral element, transforming its broad lateral extensions and descending processes into an almost winged, supernatural presence. At the centre, a deeply carved face emerges directly from the porous bone, with narrowed eyes beneath a pronounced brow, a projecting nose and sensitively articulated mouth creating an expression of extraordinary introspection and spiritual intensity.<br><br>The sculpture is especially compelling in the way the natural structure of the whalebone and the carved image become inseparable. Rather than suppressing the material's organic contours, the sculptor allows its ancient form, texture and irregularities to determine the composition, producing a work that appears simultaneously human, animal and elemental. The broad horizontal silhouette gives the sculpture remarkable visual authority despite its relatively shallow depth, while the central visage provides an arresting focal point when viewed frontally and reveals greater dimensional complexity from the oblique angles.<br><br>The subject and treatment are strongly consistent with the shamanic and transformational imagery closely associated with the work of Manasie Akpaliapik, one of the most distinctive figures in modern and contemporary Canadian Inuit sculpture. Akpaliapik is particularly admired for technically ambitious carvings in whalebone and other traditional organic materials and for works exploring Inuit spirituality, oral tradition, transformation, the supernatural realm and relationships between human and animal existence. The present sculpture's integration of an expressive human visage with the inherent anatomy of the bone is highly sympathetic to those concerns and gives the work considerable presence as both an Inuit cultural object and a sophisticated piece of sculptural abstraction.<br><br>The surface retains the exceptionally porous and tactile character of aged whalebone, contributing considerable visual depth and emphasizing the organic origin of the medium. Extensive natural and age-related drying, checking and fissuring is present throughout, most visibly in the vertical fissure passing through the forehead, nose, mouth and chin and in broader cracking visible across the reverse and upper areas. Additional irregularity and wear occur along the extended edges.<br><br>No signature, inscription or documentary label establishing authorship is provided. Accordingly, although the form, medium, subject matter and carving vocabulary support the proposed attribution, the sculpture is "Attributed to Manasie Akpaliapik".<br><br>At 23 inches across, the work offers a pa

Register & bid on this lot at Bidspirit →

More lots in this auction

• Howard Terpning "Captured from General Crook's Com
• Frank Meisler Israel "Sitting Camel" D290 Articula
• Frank Ryan's "Blue-Bill Hen" Original Hand Carved
• Frank Ryan Original Hand Carved Duck Decoy
• Ningeosiaq Ashoona - Fish - Sanikiluaq Inuit Argil
• Victor Zag's "Tallit" Original Judaica
• John Kawapik (Sanikiluaq) Monumental Walking Polar
• Victor Zag's "The Religious Man" Original Judaica

See all lots in October Art & Collectibles- 2-DAY Auction →