Book Review: Arctic Spirit 

Arctic Spirit • Inuit Art from the Albrecht Collection at the Heard Museum
By Ingo Hessel

240 pages • ISBN 978-1553651239

In one short decade, Dan and Martha Albrecht have put together one of the finest collections of Inuit art ever assembled –nearly 4,000 pieces, most of which they have donated to the Heard Museum. In Arctic Spirit, Ingo Hessel presents the best of these works, 190 sculptures, prints, drawings, and textiles, from prehistoric carvings to contemporary mixed media.

Arctic Spirit is arranged according to major themes, gathering together great works in different styles and materials. Short essays on Inuit art and culture complement the 200 color photos, as do the words of the artists, many of whom provide extensive commentaries. This is a lushly illustrated, groundbreaking instruction to an extraordinary Native American art form.

Ingo Hessel is the Albrecht Curator of Inuit Art at the Heard Museum. His publications include Inuit Art: An Introduction, and Canadian Inuit Sculpture. A sculptor and painter, he lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

The Heard Museum, “The nation’s most prestigious private Indian arts center” (USA Today), is located in Phoenix, Arizona. It is dedicated to the sensitive and accurate portrayal of Native arts and cultures.

We carve the animals because they are important to us as food. We carve Inuit figures because in that way we can show ourselves to the world as we were in the past and as we now are… There is nothing marvelous about it. It is just the truth. – stone carver Paulosie Kasadluak.