Pauta Saila

Inuit (1916 - 2009)

Pauta Saila was an Inuit artist.
Based on ArtValue.ca records, Pauta Saila's estimated art value is C$40,000 (*)

Pauta Saila's work could be available for sale at public auction with prices in the range of C$10,000 - C$100,000, or even much higher.

From ArtValue.ca records, the highest price paid at auction for a stone sculpture work attributed to Pauta Saila (1916-2009) was C$94,400 - paid for "Untitled" at Walker's in Ottawa on Thu, May 3, 2012.
ArtValue.ca has 252 auction art sale records for their stone sculpture results, with prices in the range of C$10,000 to C$100,000.

Dancing Bear (1970)
stone, ivory
Dimensions - 13.75 cms x 12 cms (5.41 ins x 4.72 ins)

Lot for sale by Waddington's Auction House, Toronto
Lot# 11
Tue, May 28, 2019

Estimate $25,000 - $35,000
Sold for CAD $28,800

Waddington's Auction House Biography and Notes

Pauta Saila is widely considered to be the consummate Inuit carver of polar bears. His respect and deep affection for the animal has been well documented in books and exhibition catalogues (see Ingo Hessel, Arctic Spirit, 2006, p. 90 for one example). Pauta loved carving too, and commented in a 1998 interview (when he was 82) that he still used axes, rasps and files (see Susan Gustavison, Northern Rock, McMichael, 1999, p. 63). He did not coin the phrase "dancing bear" - he probably would have preferred "balancing bear" - but he made the theme famous, iconic, and much copied.

(*) Value is calculated as an average of the top stone sculpture sale records from ArtValue.ca database.
This information is not intended to substitute professional advice.
To estimate the value of a specific artwork created by Pauta Saila, follow some of the advice from our Valuating art page, or contact an art specialist if our automated estimate value is greater than C$2,500.