Vintage C. Alan Johnson Print (Rare) & Matching Alaska Figurines, Pre-Owned For Sale

This is an outstanding vintage display featuring two Alaska Inuit children Ruth and Benny as ceramic figurines and a matching signed art print "Time to Celebrate". The figurines and the art print were all made by artist C. Alan Johnson. Ruth and Benny are depicted as dancing in the art print, and the ceramic figurines capture them in the same poses. The unframed print is a very hard to find print copyrighted in 1985 and personally signed by the artist. The children are dancing to the music performed by a group of elders in the background. Whether the figurines and print are displayed together or separately, they offer a universal representation of how the Inuit elders entertain and interact with the young people in the community. You will be proud to own all of these items from an outstanding artist who is universally known for his depiction of Alaska Inuit children and adults in his figurines and art prints.

"Time to Celebrate" is a vintage fine art print of one of Johnson's original watercolor paintings which he made in the years following his family's visit to the Inuit village of Point Hope, Alaska, during the spring whaling season in 1961. His paintings and his ever popular Alaska figurines portray some of the Inuit children and elders he met during that visit. This print, featuring dancing Inuit children, was HAND SIGNED BY THE ARTIST in pencil and dated 1985. The print measures 11 inches by 13.25 inches and is printed on 100 per cent rag acid-free paper. The image itself measures 8.75 by 10.75 inches. It is in near condition and is unframed.

The figurine "Ruth" is 5.75 inches tall and over 4 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep. She has a tiny chip above her right eye but is otherwise in excellent condition. She is dancing to the beat of the music performed by the elders in the community. She wears a green floral kuspuk with green trim at the cuffs and around the skirt. The kuspuk has a dark brown fur ruff at the neckline. She also wears white and brown mukluks on her feet. She is made of glazed ceramic. The bottom of the figurine bears the printed name of the artist (C. Alan Johnson), copyright date of 1983, the name "Ruth", and a productioncode "AN24". Based on the coding system used by Johnson, this would have been the 24th Ruth figurine produced in the year AN, which was 1999 under that system. The Benny figurine is approximately 5 inches tall, 3 inches wide, and 3 inches deep. Although difficult to see, Benny was also personally autographed by the artist across the back of his parka. He wears a traditional white parka with red and black trim around the cuffs and the bottom. He is copyrighted 1963 and bears the production code O86. Based on Johnson's coding system this would have been the 86th Benny produced in the year O, which was 1974 under Johnson's system. Please review all of the accompanying photos as they are considered part of the description. The figurine and the print are in excellent pre-owned condition. Thepricing on this display reflects a premium based on: (1) the relative rarity of the “Time to Celebrate" print; (2) the fact that the print, and the Benny figurine, were personally signed by the artist long before his death in 2013; and (3) the extreme popularity of the Ruth and Benny figurines and print among CAJ collectors. Shipping by USPS Priority Mail with buyer to pay a flat $22 shipping fee.Thank you for your interest in these outstanding depictions of daily life in the Inuit community in the 1960s as captured by C. Alan Johnson in glazed ceramic and in print.

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