A passion for the Arctic

"In 2015, the Dutch collector Hans van Berkel (1946), granted his private collection of Inuit and Chukchi art and handicrafts to the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden--now part of the larger National Museum of World Cultures encompassing three museums in three different cities. Starting in the early 1970s, Van Berkel has built up the most important and comprehensive private Inuit-related collection in the Netherlands. Van Berkel was first inspired to begin collecting when he came into contact with Leo Mol, a renowned sculptor in Winnipeg, Canada. Gifts from him were the first Inuit art objects in what later became the Van Berkel collection. This book not only presents some of his most beautiful or interesting artefacts, it also places the developments in art in a historical, political and economic context of the culture involved. Reflecting Van Berkel's special interests, shamanism and spiritual culture are particularly well represented in the collection, which showcases the skilled craftsmanship of Inuit and Chukchi artisans. Also included are tourist art and objects depicting the daily lives of hunters, reindeer herders, and their wives, which reflect the norms and values of these intriguing cultures of northern Canada, Greenland, and Siberia"--Page 4 of cover.