Follow the North Star at the MFA

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Opened on the 150th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation, Follow the North Star: Inuit Art from the Collection of Estrellita and Yousuf Karsh presents a selection of Inuit prints from the collection of renowned portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh and his wife Estrellita, both longtime supporters of the MFA.

Included are works by key Inuit artists such as Kenojuak Ashevak, Agnes Nanogak, Jessie Oonark, Pudlo Pudlat, and Lucy Qinnuayuak. The prints come largely from the printmaking cooperative at Cape Dorset, north of Hudson Bay, where printmaking was introduced around 1959. Most are stonecuts, hand-printed from blocks of soapstone in which the images are carved in relief.

The works are organized thematically, with sections focusing on family and daily life; hunting; shamans and myths; and tradition and the incursion of the modern world. In addition to the prints, the exhibition features a number of small-scale sculptures.

Follow the North Star: Inuit Art from the Collection of Estrellita and Yousuf Karsh is at the Museum of Fine Arts through Dec. 31.