Tips on How to Purchase and Buy Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Many visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while touring the country. Considering that Inuit art has been getting more and more worldwide exposure, individuals may be seeing this Canadian fine art kind at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. Assuming that the objective is to get an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a inexpensive tourist imitation, the question arises on how does one inform apart the genuine thing from the fakes?
It would be pretty frustrating to bring home a piece only to find out later on that it isn't really authentic or even made in Canada. If one is fortunate enough to be taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their wonderful artwork, then it can be safely presumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a regional northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. One would have to be more cautious in other places in Canada, specifically in tourist locations where all sorts of other Canadian souvenirs such as t-shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, essential chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are offered.
The best places to shop for Inuit sculptures to ensure authenticity are constantly the reputable galleries that specialize in Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. Some of these galleries have advertisements in the city tour guide discovered in hotels.
Trusted Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which adheres entirely to Inuit art. These galleries will generally be found in the downtown tourist areas of significant cities. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be only Inuit art and possibly Native art but none of the other normal tourist mementos such as postcards or tee shirts . These galleries will have only genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not deal with imitations or fakes . Just to be even safer, make sure that the piece you have an interest in comes with a Canadian government Igloo tag accrediting that it was handmade by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all authentic pieces are signed. Be aware that an unsigned piece may still be indeed genuine.
Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you might go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now credible online galleries that also focus on authentic Inuit art. Because of lower overheads, these online galleries are a excellent choice for buying Inuit art considering that the prices are usually lower than those at street retail galleries. Naturally, like other shopping on the internet, one should take care so when handling an online gallery, make certain that their pieces likewise include the main Igloo tags to guarantee authenticity.
Some traveler stores do bring genuine Inuit art in addition to the other touristy souvenirs in order to cater to all types of tourists. When shopping at these kinds of stores, it is possible to differentiate the genuine pieces from the reproductions. Genuine Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and for that reason must have some weight or mass to it. Stone is also cold to the touch. A recreation made from plastic or resin from a mold will be much lighter in weight and will not be cold to the touch. A recreation will in some cases have a company name on it such as Wolf Originals or Boma and will never include an artist's signature. An authentic Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of artwork and absolutely nothing else on the store racks will look precisely like it. If there are duplicates of a specific piece with specific information, the piece is not genuine. It is probably not genuine if a piece looks too best in detail with outright straight bottoms or sides. Obviously, if a piece features a sticker label suggesting that is was made in an Asian nation, then it is certainly a phony. There will also be a huge rate difference in between authentic pieces and the imitations.
Where it becomes more difficult to determine credibility are with the reproductions that are likewise made from stone. This can be a genuine gray area to those not familiar with authentic Inuit art. They do have mass and might even have some kind of tag indicating that it was handmade however if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too similar in detail, they are probably not authentic. If a seller declares that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the main Igloo tag that includes it which will know on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was sculpted. Move on if the Igloo tag is not offered. The genuine pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will constantly be the greatest priced and are normally kept in a different ( possibly even locked) shelf within the shop.
Since Inuit art has actually been getting more and more worldwide exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian great art kind at galleries and museums situated outside Canada too. If one is lucky enough to be taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their wonderful artwork, then it can be safely assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a local northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Trusted Inuit art galleries Kurt Criter are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is dedicated totally to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all authentic pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you could go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world.