Arctic impressions

At an online auction on Monday, May 4th at 6:00 PM Danish time, Bruun Rasmussen is offering a unique selection of Greenlandic art and crafts - everything from paintings to soapstone figures, tupilaks made of sperm whale tooth, fishing tools and much more.

Maria Bornø, a specialist in classical art and interior design from the Aarhus department, says that Bruun Rasmussen has collected a number of very special items at the auction, which together tell a story about Greenland's unique tradition of crafts, applied arts, fishing tools and art.

- It's all rooted in nature and the stories of an indigenous people. A tradition that is maintained to this day by internationally renowned artists such as Aka Høgh, explains Maria Bornø to Sermitsiaq.

Colony Art

The auction also includes works by Danish artists who have traveled to Greenland over time and fallen in love with the landscape, which has served as a constant source of inspiration for their art - from dramatic fjords and icebergs to life in the settlements and encounters with Greenlandic nature.

This includes Emanuel A. Petersen (1894-1948), whose art was deeply influenced by Greenland. Petersen went on a life-changing journey in 1921 when he accidentally secured a place on a cargo ship with Greenland as his destination. His encounter with the majestic land made such a big impression on him that during his lifetime he managed to produce up to 2000 works depicting Greenlandic nature. Again this year we can offer magnificent works from his hand - paintings that we are experiencing great interest in, says Maria Bornø.

You can participate online

The auction represents a rare opportunity for collectors as well as the curious, as there is ample opportunity to acquire some very special and unique objects.

You can bid on the auction from Tuesday 21 April, when the auction will go online.

Whether you are fascinated by Greenlandic masks or carved figures, these can be experienced at Bruun Rasmussens by physically inspecting them in Lyngby and Aarhus. You can see on Bruun Rasmussen's website where a given object is located.

Third theme auction

This is the third theme auction Bruun Rasmussen is holding of Greenlandic art and crafts, where Maria Bornø has always been responsible for the auction.

- At Bruun Rasmussen, we have been selling Greenlandic items for decades and have always been proud to be able to offer unique items of special character and history. Ethnographic art is a small niche, but with strong purchasing power and skilled collectors who value quality highly, says Maria Bornø.

In recent years, Bruun Rasmussen has held appraisal events in the Faroe Islands and Iceland with great success, and with the union between Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, it was obvious that the possibilities for an appraisal trip to Greenland should also be investigated.

- In this connection, we launched a comprehensive theme auction exclusively with Greenlandic art in the spring of 2025, in order to get a 'fresh' indicator of how much interest there will be in the subject. A plan that has been several months in the making. We regularly hold theme auctions that put extra focus on a special subject or niche, where we spend a lot of effort on obtaining and obtaining relevant and exciting items for the auction in question. Since then, we held another auction in the autumn of 2025 and now again here in the spring of 2026.

How do you experience the prices within the last year?

- we have seen an increasing interest and thus also price development in Greenlandic art within the last year, which is why this can also be seen as one of the reasons why we have chosen to hold a large theme auction.

- my assessment is that we have always had really good hammer prices for Greenlandic art, but a changed factor is probably the fact that more international bidders have come onto the scene. Here too, to a large extent, Greenlandic buyers, which is absolutely fantastic. We also cannot avoid the major political focus that has filled 2025, says Maria Bornø.

- can you tell us what you usually sell for at your auctions?

- unfortunately, I cannot comment on that. But the auctions usually perform really well. The first one we held sold for over budget, she says.

New trend in the art world

Interest in Greenlandic art can be seen as part of a broader trend in the art world, where there is an increased focus on diversity, decolonization and representation of previously overlooked voices.

- Historically, Greenlandic art has long been marginalized in the Western art canon, but in line with a changing view of what art is and who is allowed to define it, a new curiosity and respect for original artistic expressions has emerged, she explains.

- In addition, Greenlandic artists have increasingly been given platforms, both in and outside Greenland, that help them express their own stories - often with political or identity-based undertones that appeal to contemporary audiences.

- In addition, there is a growing awareness in Denmark of the complex history and power relations of the realm, which has led to a desire to better understand Greenland's cultural and heritage - including the artistic tradition, which ranges from thousand-year-old craft traditions to modern, conceptual contemporary art, says Maria Bornø.

Greater foreign interest

Do you notice increasing foreign interest in Greenlandic art?

- Yes, we do to a large extent. We see bidders and buyers from, among others, France, Germany, China and the USA. In addition, as mentioned, we also see more Greenlandic buyers, and we see this as very positive, so that more objects return to their country of origin and are once again given a place in their original cultural context, points out Maria Bornø.

How many objects do you expect to have at the auction?

- The auction is still underway, but we are approaching the deadline. We expect to offer around 50 items, she says.

The objects at the auction

Bruun Rasmussen is still preparing the auction, so we will not be able to see it until after April 21.

- There will only be photos and an overview when the auction is held, as we are working with tight deadlines. In other words, no photos have been taken or made available online, says Maria Bornø, but mentions some interesting items.

Among other things, a fantastic Harald Moltke work of pastel and charcoal on paper, showing the village of Ikerasak.

In addition, Bruun Rasmussen is once again offering a few paintings by Emanuel A. Petersen with Greenlandic motifs, beautiful original Greenlandic masks, and several tupilaks by Aron Kleist and Cecilie Kleist, rarely offered at auctions, so Maria Bornø is looking forward to it.

- In addition, we are offering good collector's items such as snow goggles, East Greenlandic water buckets made of driftwood. In addition, Greenlandic handicrafts such as snowshoes, uloes, shooting sails and fishing gear, she informs.