Henry Napartuk

Henry Napartuk was an Inuit artist from Kuujjuaraapik (formerly Great Whale River) in Arctic Quebec. He gained recognition as both a sculptor and printmaker, developing a distinctive artistic style that set him apart from many of his contemporaries.

Napartuk learned carving from his father, Josie, who was one of the community's earliest sculptors. His career in printmaking began in 1972 after his brother-in-law Noah Meeko and Noah's wife Lucy returned from a printmaking workshop in Puvirnituq and shared their knowledge with him. Napartuk quickly demonstrated considerable talent in this medium, contributing several pieces to the Arctic Québec print collection of 1973. The catalogue for this collection specifically highlighted his emerging talent and bold style.

While many Nunavik artists worked primarily in realistic styles, Napartuk distinguished himself through abstract, multi-directional compositions. His work often featured unique morphed compositions where human and animal elements combined into fantastical forms. This experimental approach to abstraction began in his sculpture work of the late 1960s and translated into his printmaking, with many of his prints directly inspired by his earlier carvings. After the mid-1970s, he focused primarily on sculpture, sometimes drawing inspiration from his print work.

Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, Napartuk participated in several national snow sculpting competitions in Quebec. In 1982, he represented Canada at an international snow sculpting competition in Cortina d'Amezzo, Italy. His artwork has been featured in numerous international exhibitions and is held in major collections including the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Winnipeg Art Gallery, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Glenbow Museum, and the Royal Ontario Museum. Although his carvings appeared in exhibitions as early as 1966, he gained significant attention in 1971 when his work was included in the touring exhibition "Sculpture/Inuit: Masterworks of the Canadian Arctic."