Greenland buys its cultural heritage home again. Bruun Rasmussen’s latest auction of Greenlandic art, which was held on 4 May, shows this.
– It is a cultural heritage that, over many decades, has been exported from the country by both traders and travellers. A lot of what we see at the auction are heirlooms where the heirs themselves do not have much knowledge or relationship with the objects, why they want to sell it, says Maria Stebø, valuation specialist at Bruun Rasmussen and who was in charge of the auction.
There was great international interest in the 59 subjects divided into various categories such as modern art, classic Greenlandic handicrafts, older paintings, collectors’ items and more, which were included in the auction.
Much returns home
They experienced bidders and buyers from England, France, Greece, the USA, Hong Kong and of course Greenland, says Maria Stebø and points out:
– There is a difference between bidders and buyers. But I can happily announce that several items ended up with happy buyers from Greenland. This means that several subjects return to their country of origin and once again find a place in their original cultural context.
– In other words, you can say that Greenland buys a lot of their cultural heritage back home – cultural heritage that has been exported out of the country over many decades by traders and travelers alike. A lot of what we see at the auction are heirlooms where the heirs themselves do not have much knowledge or relationship with the objects, which is why they want to sell them, says Maria Stebø.
The high jumpers
There were also offers that surprised them:
– We sold a head mounted polar bear skin that went 280 percent higher than the estimate. The hammer battle ended at DKK 42,000.
– In addition, it went absolutely terrific for all tupil lacquers, especially those made by the renowned Aron and Cecilie Kleist.
– Among other things, I can highlight a tupil lacquer made by Aron Kleist from the 1970s. The tupil lacquer was unsigned, but extremely well executed and went for approximately 525 percent over the estimate with a nice hammer blow of DKK 42,000.
If you look at surprises in relation to the assessment, the biggest leap in relation to assessment and expectations was a Christine Deichmann portrait of a woman – presumably the widow Mørck from Uummannaq. It was a watercolor and pencil on paper measuring 31 x 27 cm.
– Here, the bids went well from the start, and it went for more than 680 percent over the estimate with a final hammer blow of DKK 34,000, which was the highest price for paintings at the auction, which is completely unique, the valuation expert points out.
Were there any Greenlandic artists who surprised at the auction?
– In general, the famous tupil lacquers of the Kleist family were a positive surprise – but we now know very well that demand is high for these in particular.
However, it is interesting to see that a painting by the well-known multi-artist Hans Lynge “Islandscape from Julianehåb”, which was valued at 5,000 kroner, was sold for 2,200 kroner.
A picture of Moltke was not sold
One of the most sought-after colonial painters is Harald Moltke. He is particularly known for his participation in several polar expeditions. The most famous is the Literary Expedition with Knud Rasmusen, Jørgen Brønlund, Alfred Bertelsen and Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen from 1902 to 1904, which went from Upernavik to Cape York at the old Thule, which today is better known as Dundas or Uummannaq near the Pituffik Space Base. Among his most important works are 30 portraits of Inuit.
He brought three paintings to the auction.
To everyone’s surprise, one was not sold.
It was a large painting from 1943, which depicts a sleigh ride by a Greenlandic fjord, and which was valued at 30,000 kroner.
This both annoys and surprises Maria Stebø because, as she says, it is a unique painting.
– It is currently up for auction again, so let’s see what happens.
Another painting by Harald Moltke was sold for DKK 28,000, corresponding to 93 percent of the estimate of DKK 30-35,000. It is from the village of Ikerasak and is from 1904.
The third picture by Moltke was Greenlandic landscape with dog sled from 1905 was valued at 3,000 kroner and was sold for 1,500 kroner.
Emanuel A. Petersen was again involved
There were several pictures by the colonial painter Emanuel A. Petersen.
What went best was a picture of “Greenland fjord party with wife’s boat”, which was valued at 15-20,000 kroner. It was sold for DKK 12,500.
Another picture with “Wife’s boat and kayakers in the Uummannaq area” was valued at DKK 8,000 and was sold for DKK 9,500.
A third picture “Pilots being taken on board” was valued at 10-12,000 kroner and sold for 7,500 kroner.
A fourth picture “Greenlandic landscape with dogsled driving” was valued at DKK 4,000 and sold for DKK 2,200.
But three other pictures by Emanuel A. Petersen were not sold.
Greenlandic art stands out
Interest in Greenlandic art is still high, and they see more and more new bidders each time, says Maria Stebø and states that Bruun Rasmussen sent out a newsletter in connection with the auction.
– Here we could ascertain that it was one of the newsletters that had generated the most clicks on the website. This is very positive, and proves something that it is a hot topic that is not only aimed at collectors who are ready to buy, but also just curious and professionally interested.
People are curious about what stands out from the crowd: and here Greenlandic art is a good bet. These are subjects that tell something about original artistic expression. In modern art, often with political or identity undertones, which appeal to contemporary audiences.
– Many want to understand and recognize Greenland’s culture and cultural heritage, including the artistic tradition, which can be anything from carved tupil lacquers, original Inuit snow goggles or conceptual contemporary art.
Overall, the auction was a success, assesses the valuation expert.
– We have held this type of themed auction of Greenlandic art a few times within the past few years, and this time we were able to offer a not so large, but on the other hand well-curated offer of a total of 59 items. In other words, this time we had a sharp focus on quality rather than quantity, and were able to offer exciting and somewhat rare effects. This time, quite a few lots with tupil lacquers of carved sperm whale teeth by Aron and Cecilie Kleist respectively, explains Maria Stebø and adds:
– In general, the auction performed above the estimated budget, so we at Bruun Rasmussen are extremely satisfied. Especially because Greenlandic art is a very niche category.
First new auction for Greenland in 2027
They have now run three themed auctions of Greenlandic art within two years, and will just take a short break so that it does not become too extensive.
– It is important that we keep the enthusiasm and interest in the area alive. Therefore, you will of course regularly see Greenlandic effects at our auctions – but decidedly themed auctions require a lot of work and preparation. I am pregnant and will be on maternity leave from 1 August, but I am certainly not averse to setting up a new themed auction when I return from maternity leave next year, says Maria Stebø.
