The Adamson Collection

August 19 – September 16

Event | Arthur Adamson and Inuit Art, Saturday, September 9, 11 AM PST

In 1957, Manitoba-based poet and later painter Arthur Adamson met George Swinton, with whom he would develop a lifelong friendship. A respected art instructor and art historian, Swinton was starting to learn about the still new form of Inuit art at the time. As Swinton’s interest in the new art grew, Adamson developed his own deep appreciation for the sculptural expressions of the first generation of Inuit carvers, acquiring a unique collection of these astonishing works, some of which were gifted to him by Swinton. Although Adamson stopped collecting in the 1970s, he and his wife Lucy continued to cherish these works together until Arthur’s death in 2019.

Opening August 19 and continuing until September 16, The Adamson Collection will present 17 of these remarkable works, the majority of which are being shown to the public for the first time. The exhibition includes several stone sculptures of women—some with small children tucked into their spacious parka hoods—from the Nunavik community of Salluit, all dating from the late 1950s. Other images portray hunters in various dynamic poses. One of the collection’s most memorable works is an intricate sculpture from Puvirnituq, also dating from the late 1950s, depicting a mother dog nursing two pups.

MSG is honoured to be showcasing and celebrating this intimate collection of marvellous, cherished works.