Luke Anguhadluq

Luke Anguhadluq (1895–1982; Inuktitut syllabics: ᓗᒃ ᐊᖑᐊᓗᖅ) was a Canadian Inuk artist in Baker Lake.

Biography Luke Anguhadluq was born at Chantrey Inlet in 1895 to the Utkuhikhalingmiut (meaning "people of the stone for cooking pots") people. Anguhadluq grew up living traditionally off of the land in the Back River area and by the age of 28 was considered to be a mature hunter and eventually a respected camp leader. The Utkuhikhalingmiut remained largely unaffected by settling Europeans and continued their traditions into the 1950s. A famine, resulting from a shift in the migratory patterns of caribou away from Back River, caused Anguhadluq and his extended family to leave the area.

Anguhadluq continued to live in an igloo in the winter and a skin tent in the summer until he was 72.

Artistic career Anguhadluq began his career as an artist when he was 65. It has been suggested that he could have been persuaded by Jessie Oonark's prosperity as an artist to begin exploring his illustrative talents. Many of Anguhadluq's drawings were then made into prints, often by his sons, Thomas Iksiraq and Barnabus Oosuaq, who became printmakers. He would also often use multiple perspectives and/or repeat his subjects for graphic effects. Two of Anguhadluq's most notable exhibitions include a joint production with his wife, Marion Tuu'luq, in 1976 and a solo exhibition put together by the Art Gallery of Ontario and held at the National Art Gallery of Canada from 1993 to 1995.

Collections Works by Luke Anguhadluq are at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre (Kingston, ON), Canadian Guild of Crafts Quebec (Montréal, QC), Canadian Museum of History (Hull, QC), Klamer Family Collection, Art Gallery of Ontario (Toronto, ON), Victoria and Albert Museum (London, UK), Edmonton Art Gallery (Edmonton, AB), the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa, ON), Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (Québec, QC) and the Museum of Anthropology, University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC) among others.

There are works by Luke Anguhadluk at commercial galleries including Feheley Fine Arts in Toronto, ON., and Spirit Wrestler Gallery in Vancouver, BC.

Awards Anguhadluq was presented with a cultural award to attend the shared exhibition with his wife, which was held at the Winnipeg Art Gallery. He has also been featured in the magazine Inuit Art Quarterly many times and is regarded as an important Canadian artist. Anguhadluq's work is known to be held in the collections of at least 25 galleries and museums around the world.