Lucy Qinnuayuak. Boy at Home Alone, 1981. Lithograph, 52.2 x 66.8 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Gift of Samuel and Esther Sarick, Toronto, 2002. © Estate of Lucy Qinnuayuak. Image courtesy of Dorset Fine Arts.
Located on Level 2 in Gallery 201
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One of the first artists to ever begin creating works at the print studio in Kinngait, Nunavut in the 1960s, Lucy Qinnuayuak’s colourful depictions of birds and scenes of domestic life bring to life the world as she saw it. In this exhibition of 20 works on paper, the viewer is invited to explore the evolution of Qinnuayuak’s style, from her concept drawings to stonecut prints, many of which include her much-loved owls. This exhibition is curated by Emily Henderson, former AGO Curatorial Assistant, Indigenous & Canadian Art.
Lucy Qinnuayuak (1915-1982) began her life in Nunavik, in Arctic Quebec, relocating to Nunavut with her family as a child. She began making drawings and etchings in the 1950s. Beginning in 1961, her work was included in every single Cape Dorset annual print release up until her death in 1982. While originally creating stonecut prints, as her career progressed she also began to add acrylics and coloured pencils to the repertoire of her favoured mediums, creating rich colours and contrast that became signature to her. In 1976 one of her designs was selected for the ’76 Montreal Summer Olympics as a banner, which was later displayed at the AGO.
