Mark Tungilik

Mark Tungilik (1913?–1986) was an Inuit sculptor from Nunavut who specialized in miniature ivory carvings.

Early life[edit]

Tungilik was born in either 1904 or 1913 in the Spence Bay area. He later moved to Pelly Bay and then Naujaat.^[1][2]

Career[edit]

In 1945 Roman Catholic missionaries encouraged Tungilik to start carving ivory.^[2][3] One of the pieces he carved was presented to Pope Pius XII in 1948.^[3] He was known to bring his carvings with him on his boat, to work on them while hunting.^[4]

Tungilik's work often depicts Arctic animals, including seals,^[5] weasels,^[6] caribou,^[7][8] muskoxes,^[9][10] owls,^[11] polar bears,^[12][13] and walruses.^[5][14] Many of his pieces also depict hunting scenes,^{[3][15][16][17]} as well as Christian religious imagery.^[4][18]

In 2013, one of Tungilik's carvings of a muskox was featured on an episode of Antiques Roadshow.^[19]

Tungilik's work is held in several museums worldwide, including the Canadian Museum of Civilization,^[1] the University of Michigan Museum of Art,^[10][20] the Museum of Anthropology at University of British Columbia,^[1][21] the Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec,^[1] the National Gallery of Canada,^[1][22] the University of Lethbridge Art Gallery,^[1] the Winnipeg Art Gallery,^[1][23] the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,^[1] the Art Gallery of Toronto,^[1] Portland Art Museum,^[24] and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.^[1][25][26]

In his older age, Tungilik began to lose his vision, but continued carving.^[4]

His grandson Jesse Tungilik is a multidisciplinary artist.^[27][28]

References[edit]