Blog the latest news
Open the LARGE image in a new Tab -> "Mouse Over; Right Click; Open in New Tab"
1.4.2025
Recently sold: "Dancing bear" via Gardner Galleries (on the right)
New! For sale via Arctic Fine Arts: Spriti Bear! (on the left)
Furthermore it seems prices for the Floyd Kuptana paintings have been lowered.
Some items are now for PICK UP only.
More detail on the FOR SALE page and the SCULPTURES page.
30.3.2025
Recently added Lot 67 FLOYD KUPTANA (CANADIAN, 1964-2021)
UNTITLED FOR SALE at Waddington's
ACRYLIC ON BOARD
More detail on the FOR SALE page
Suddenly a little burst of Floyd Kuptana paintings on the market popping up!
Earlier we posted about the batch on auction at @gardnergalleries , today we post about another painting on auction right now at @waddingtonsauctions in the Discovery Art Section.
Strange how they keep pushing all but sculptures to this section, instead of where it belongs, in INUIT ART. I can only guess at the reasons for that.
We always are interested in the provenance of the offered art pieces, and an indication of a date or year of production.
In this case, we got the same answer from Doug Payne -the expert responsible for this Discovery Art Online section at Waddingtons- stated that mostly their Floyds came in via two, undisclosed clients, who claim to have been close with the artist for some period, and acquired their pieces directly from Floyd. There is no other documentation available to prove provenance, and no dates indicated.
Most likely this piece is from a later period, maybe one or two years before his sudden death in May 2021, but we will never now exactly, as none of the paintings were even dated.
N.B. Thank you for your comment Tarikouli Mirzoev about the provenance of this painting!
“2019 Toronto Greenwood av 317”. You should tell Doug Payne at @waddingtonsauctions :-)
To our knowledge, this was Floyd’s last place …
March 26 2025
Gardner Galleries just added 5 paintings by Floyd to their Indigenous Art Auctiion that will start April 18th.
Two other paintings will be on the Spring 2025 Fine Art Auction that starts April 11th.
The sculpture is on auction right now till March 31st , also at Gardner Galleries.
Check out the FOR SALE page for more info, links & images
March 16 2025
Left: this sculpture of a bear cub was sold via AboriginArt (Inuit.net) recently
Right: Matthem Mutch (Arctic Fine Arts) shared this wonderful spirit bear by Floyd Kuptana
Check out the SCULPTURES page for more info, links & images
12.3.2025
A "new" sculpture for sale at Gardner Galleries
Online March Art Session II
lot 1010
FLOYD KUPTANA
Now this is an unusual sculpture. Floyd does place many of his sculpture on a stand, but an inukshuk usually stand on it's own. I would say it is a drum dancer, probably a shaman in transformation, with the body as inukshuk and the head of a bear.
Never seen it before.
Description:
A mixed media stone sculpture "Dancing Bear", carved with three pieces of soapstone including the body in the form of an Inukshuk, signed twice to the base and dated 2018, overall height 24.8cm (9 3/4in); present Ontario collection, acquired in 2018 directly from the artist; note glue remnants on stone and spear visible; Floyd Kuptana, Inuvialuk Canadian, 1964-2021
8.3.2025
Update on the various artworks by Floyd Kuptana for sale:
New on auction:
The Spring 2025 Fine Art Auction at Gardner Galleries listed this acrylic portrait of a woman unknown so far. No date or provenance info, other than that it was acquired directly from Tane Art Gallery, Toronto, who the artist painted for the last two years of his life; an exhibition of his works was held at Tane from November 29th to December 29th, 2020, brochure from this show verso; Floyd Kuptana, Inuvialuk Canadian, 1964-2021
Acrylic on canvas depicting a rare portrait study, a smiling figure with white hair amidst a blue and black background, signed lower right, 35.6 x 27.9cm (14 x 11in)
Bidding will start on Friday, April 11th at 12:00 PM.
Runnning auctions:
The art books from Gallery Arcturus (Floyd Kuptana & deborah harris)
Totals (as far as we know)
Sculptures: 41
Paintings: 15
6.3.2025
New videos on Youtube channel Inuit Art Portal!
“Starving Bear” by Floyd Kuptana, 2002
Shaman’s mask by Floyd Kuptana (MCCA collection)
Sedna lamenting the loss of sea ice, 2007 (by Floyd Kuptana, also in MCCA collection)
CHECK OUT THE CHANNEL ON YOUTUBE and the Floyd Kuptana playlist!
26.02.2025
2 hard-cover books with Floyd Kuptana's works on auction
Gallery Arcturus published several interesting digital BLURB books on their site, including 3 about Floyd. Two of these are now on offer via Gardner Galleries, plus one with paintings of the curator and in-house artist deborah harris.
See the For Sale page for more images and details!
25.02.2025
Recently sold via Gardner Galleries:
Floyd Kuptana signed acrylic on board, "Three-Headed Wolf", together with a photo of F. Kuptana holding the painting - 9 1/2 x 14 1/4in; Note: the photograph was taken Sunday, November 05/2017, 7.53am at downtown Toronto St Lawrence antique market by a long-time friend and dealer of Floyd Kuptana
See the Paintings page for more images and details!
14.02.2025
February 14th is the birthday of Floyd Kuptana.
Today day we remember him by publishing an old photoalbum, shared with us by JP (Jean Paul) Albert. JP, also an artists, was his friend from the start in Toronto around 1995, for many years.
We get to see many unknown sculptures, a few snapshots from the old days, including one with David Ruben Piqtoukun, his cousin and JP together.
Let us know if to recognise the time or place or sculpture!
Any extra info is welcome.
Check the Facebook post! It has móre images with info.
#projectfloydkuptana #floydkuptana #inuitart #artinuit @galleryarcturus @floyd_kuptana
For Floyd Kuptana - Artist Gallery Arcturus
14.2.2025
NEW! FOR SALE at Aboriginart Inuit.net
Title: Peace offering
Check the FOR SALE page for more images and details!
Two open palms facing up, present a (peace) pipe. The friendly smiling face of what appears to be a sea spirit, with the head of a shaman, and the tail of a whale, offers the pipe with it's two arms and hands. The pipe is made of bone or antler.
The shaman's head has two blue inlay eyes, one earhanger, and of course a bone plug in it's jaw.
When we look closely, there is a second face created by Floyd in the tail, complete with inlay blue eyes, a nose structure, a mouth ánd
-again- a bone plug!.
The painting "dancing wolf with two heads" is now also offered via Ebay.
Check the FOR SALE page for more images and details!
Added: 16.2.2025
08.02.2025
Just some recent sells of Floyd Kuptana's works. From @arcticfinearts the bear with the blue eyes, and via @waddingtonsauctions 2 more sculptures, and 1 paintings that did really good.
#projectfloydkuptana #floydkuptana #inuitart #artinuit
Check out the details and more images at the Sculpture & Paintings page.
05.02.2025
At Waddington's Auctioneers & Appraisers one of Floyd Kuptana's paintings on auction till 6 February 2025 14:00 EST (Discovery Art)
ACRYLIC ON CANVAS; SIGNED
There is no date available for the painting. Doug Payne (Waddingtons Discovery Art Online) assumes it is from "just prior to his death" (in May 2021)
Check out the FOR SALE page for more images & details!
03.02.2025
This painting on the right, will be on auction at Gardner Galleries, starting on Monday, February 10th.
Floyd Kuptana signed acrylic on board, "Three-Headed Wolf" - 9 1/2 x 14 1/4in
The picture of Floyd holding these two paintings, was taken by Daniel Lovesart on Sunday, November 05/2017 at 7.53am. at downtown Toronto, St Lawrence antique market ( the huge white tent).
#projectfloydkuptana #floydkuptana #artinuit #inuitart Inuit Art Portal #gardner #gardnergalleries
Check the For Sale page.
Added: 3.2.2025
02.02.2025
These 4 paintings are not available anymore on the Rukaj Gallery.
Check the Paintings page.
![For sale (ARTNET, Rukaj Gallery) UNTITLED, CA. [White Wolf] 1992-2021 Acrylic on canvas 16 x 20 in. 40.6 x 50.8 cm. Signed to upper left corner PROVENANCE Tane Gallery, Ontario Marc Davis & Associates, Toronto added: 25.3.2023](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PMPSfnxh7FJi0bRdIguWgGxNU4yGUY8nq7bx5FaG0hcnAfHA5BMSdUQL8AGBKYorXRt2EABmQyR5Zy5KWHBuW6k_tURbL67moWFSMsmuUgmMg6h-CNfveT_vH8jDT3mqYQ=w1280)
![FOR SALE (ARTNET, Rukaj Gallery) UNTITLED, [Mask] CA. 1992-2021 Acrylic on canvas 23 1/2 x 11 1/2 in. 59.7 x 29.2 cm. Signed to lower left corner PROVENANCE Tane Gallery, Ontario Marc Davis & Associates, Toronto added: 25.3.2023](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/kRXYL-1DtN4kHKhaST4ssXpkZtS-UH5TKfIEk6IO9pEelbD_Nz4mFjT7mnAjQKPlyZ0jYPN9lsTMrzD4dKJbPMAb-pji8GhEcRLDMJcnZh1ZIqgvdPTMHq7r1qPLj8phAQ=w1280)
![For sale (ARTNET, Rukaj Gallery) UNTITLED, [Riding the Two-headed wolf] CA. 1992-2021 Acrylic on canvas 30 x 36 in. 76.2 x 91.4 cm. Signed along left margin PROVENANCE Tane Gallery, Ontario Marc Davis & Associates, Toronto Added: 25.3.2023](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/QQ7-3VrYtj9pyOqdVcmKXzU0s9KcW5qP1XOB5wRtZjSKmfFb05jTQcali6wyh8zgguZYnvbiKqlhASp-jDor9chIziDxVmyJE_gru9xcIEKhv2u5cRAMjGl5oMZqkxdadg=w1280)
![For Sale (ANTNET, Rukaj Gallery) UNTITLED, [Wolf head] CA. 1992-2021 Acrylic on canvas 30 x 31 1/2 in. 76.2 x 80 cm. Signed in blue along left margin PROVENANCE Tane Gallery, Ontario Marc Davis & Associates, Toronto Added: 23.3.2023](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/oKU2hy6j35-v1VXXXRRoAlfkV-gL_ibR0I2VmmA6cTecRjjvxt5rw7m7wDw08Yip6EHvDzX3wV5ZyUnDD3RsuAJfzh_NUdz3C3Zpn4fRX7dvzOO4XW2UZO5gc4bdVo06GA=w1280)
Added: 26.1.2025
The second sculpture that came online for a timed auction at Waddingtons till 6 February 2025 15:00 EST, is this one.
CARIBOU SPIRIT, 2000
Materials: stone, antler
signed in Roman; dated;
23.1.2025
Two sculptures by Floyd came available online yesterday for a timed auction till 6 February 2025 15:00 EST
Today we look at this one.
Title: BEAR SPIRIT
Year: 2000, stone, signed in Roman; accompanied by a "Canada Eskimo Art" tag inscribed "Floyd Kuptana / Paulatuk/Toronto / 2000 / Bear Spirit"
Dimensions: 6.25 x 10.75 x 4.25 in — 15.9 x 27.3 x 10.8 cm
Estimate: $1,000—2,000 CAD
Provenance: Private Collection, Quebec
#waddingtons
#artthatisreal
See the FOR SALE PAGE for more images & details!
18.1.2025
Look up at the sky. Protect me from bad spirits above. Find me what i am looking for.
This is not a bear with two heads. It is not a transformation as such. It looks like a symbiosis of a bear and a spitit or shaman.
I would call the sculpture almost elegant, giving a happy vibe, with the bear definitely smiling.
The spirit/shaman face -right on the back of the bear- shows no emotion, looks up in the sky, with a bone plug, and a little bone or ivory cross hanging on its ear. Around its neck hangs a small buff.
This is the 3rd piece by Floyd Kuptana, from a private collection.
Title: Untitled [ Striding bear with helper spirit]
Signed, 2005
Dimensions: approx. 6-7in
See the SCULPTURES PAGE for more images & details!
And please consider to also share the Floyd's in YOUR collection!
This way you will help making the collection of all the works by Floyd as complete as possible, via this website.
You can share with your name, but also anonymously of course.
For any works to be shared we would ask:
a couple of good resolution images from different angles, including the bottom or back.
the dimensions in inches or centimeters
Signature & Year of production, and very important
known provenance. How, when and where did you get?
12.1.2025
One of the 2025 NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS for the project "Floyd Kuptana From Another World", is to continue to discover, document and share works by Floyd not seen before!
I am very glad that we will be having a this new private collection, where the owner happily will be sharing detailed images of his Floyd sculptures one by one.
Today we can show no. 2.
Eron Boyd called it "very sweet", this little bear with a small leather buff.
Untitled "Looking back" bear with buff on all four.
Dmension: 6-7 in (details to follow)
Signed, 2009
See the SCULPTURES PAGE for more images & details!
And please consider to also share the Floyd's in YOUR collection!
This way you will help making the collection of all the works by Floyd as complete as possible, via this website.
You can share with your name, but also anonymously of course.
For any works to be shared we would ask:
a couple of good resolution images from different angles, including the bottom or back.
the dimensions in inches or centimeters
Signature & Year of production, and very important
known provenance. How, when and where did you get?
10.1.2025
This paintings is offered for sale via Etsy, by "MarcoscollectionCA",
@Supermarc1975" on Instagram.
Untitled: Dancing Wolf with Two Heads
See the FOR SALE PAGE for more images & details!