Tips on How to Buy and Buy Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Many visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while visiting the nation. Considering that Inuit art has been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian great art kind at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. Assuming that the objective is to obtain an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap tourist replica, the question develops on how does one tell apart the real thing from the fakes?
It would be quite frustrating to bring home a piece only to learn later that it isn't really authentic or perhaps made in Canada. If one is lucky enough to be taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their fantastic art work, then it can be securely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a regional northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would need to be more careful elsewhere in Canada, particularly in traveler locations where all sorts of other Canadian souvenirs such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, essential chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The best locations to purchase Inuit sculptures to make sure authenticity are always the credible galleries that specialize in Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have ads in the city tour guide discovered in hotels.
Reputable Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is devoted entirely to Inuit art. These galleries will typically be found in the downtown tourist areas of major cities. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and perhaps Native art but none of the other normal traveler mementos such as postcards or tee shirts . These galleries will have just genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not handle fakes or replicas . Just to be even more secure, make sure that the piece you have an interest in features a Canadian government Igloo tag accrediting that it was handmade by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all genuine pieces are signed. Be conscious that an unsigned piece might still be undoubtedly authentic.
Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have websites so you could go shopping and buy genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now respectable online galleries that likewise specialize in genuine Inuit art.
Some tourist shops do carry authentic Inuit art as well as the other touristy keepsakes in Kurt Criter order to accommodate all types of tourists. When shopping at these kinds of stores, it is possible to tell apart the genuine pieces from the recreations. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and for that reason should have some weight or mass to it. Stone is also cold to the touch. A reproduction made from plastic or resin from a mold will be much lighter in weight and will not be cold to the touch. A reproduction will in some cases have a company 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 art work and nothing else on the shop shelves will look exactly like it. The piece is not authentic if there are duplicates of a specific piece with specific information. If a piece looks too perfect in detail with absolute straight bottoms or sides, it is most likely not real. Obviously, if a piece includes a sticker label suggesting that is was made in an Asian country, then it is obviously a phony. There will likewise be a huge price distinction between authentic pieces and the imitations.
Where it ends up being more difficult to identify authenticity are with the recreations that are also made of stone. This can be a real gray area to those unfamiliar with genuine Inuit art. They do have mass and may even have some kind of tag showing that it was handmade but if there are other useful link pieces on the shelves that look too comparable in detail, they are more than likely not authentic. If a seller declares that such as piece is authentic, ask to see the official Igloo tag that comes with it which will know on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was carved. If the Igloo tag is not offered, move on. The authentic pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will always be the highest priced and are generally kept in a different ( possibly even locked) rack within the shop.
Considering that Inuit art has been getting more and more international direct exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian fine art form 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 securely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a regional northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Trustworthy Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is dedicated completely to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all genuine pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you might go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world.