Tips on How to Buy and Shop for Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Many visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while exploring the nation. Given that Inuit art has been getting more and more international exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian fine art form at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. Assuming that the intent is to acquire an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a inexpensive tourist imitation, the question occurs on how does one inform apart the real thing from the phonies?
It would be quite disappointing to bring home a piece only to find out later on that it isn't genuine or perhaps 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 art work, then it can be safely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. One would need to be more cautious in other places in Canada, particularly in tourist areas where all sorts of other Canadian mementos such as t-shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, key chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The safest places to shop for Inuit sculptures to make sure credibility are always the credible galleries that focus on 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 publication which is devoted totally to Inuit art. These galleries will usually be located in the downtown tourist locations of major cities. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and possibly Native art but none of the other usual traveler mementos such as postcards or tee shirts . These galleries will have only authentic Inuit art for sale as they do not handle fakes or imitations . Just to be even more secure, make certain that the piece you have an interest in includes a Canadian federal government Igloo tag accrediting that it was handcrafted by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all genuine pieces are signed. Be aware that an unsigned piece may still be certainly authentic.
Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you might go shopping and purchase authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now trusted online galleries that likewise specialize in authentic Inuit art.
Some tourist shops do bring authentic Inuit art as well as the other touristy mementos in order to accommodate all kinds of travelers. When shopping at these types of stores, it is possible to tell apart the genuine pieces from the reproductions. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and therefore ought to have some weight or mass to it. Stone is also cold to the touch. A recreation made of plastic or resin from a mold will be much lighter in weight and will not be cold to the touch. A reproduction will often have a business name on it such as Wolf Originals or Boma and will never feature an artist's signature. An genuine Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of artwork and nothing else on the store racks will look precisely like it. If there are duplicates of a particular piece with precise details, the piece is not genuine. It is probably not real if a piece looks too best in detail with absolute straight bottoms or sides. Of course, if a piece includes a sticker label indicating that is was made in an Asian nation, then it is obviously a fake. There will likewise be a substantial rate distinction between genuine pieces and the replicas.
Where it becomes harder to determine credibility are with the recreations 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 may even have some kind of tag indicating that it was handcrafted however if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too comparable in detail, they are most likely not genuine. If a seller declares that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the main Igloo tag that comes with it which will have information on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was carved. Move on if the Igloo tag is official statement not available. The authentic pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will constantly be the greatest priced and are typically kept in a different ( possibly even locked) rack within the store.
Considering that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more worldwide exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian fine art form at galleries and museums situated outside Canada too. If one is fortunate enough to be taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their terrific art work, then it can be securely presumed that any Inuit art piece acquired from a regional northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Reliable Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine 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 also have websites so you could go shopping and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.