Tips on How to Buy and Shop for Genuine Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Lots of visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while exploring the country. Since Inuit art has been getting more and more international direct exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian great art form at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. Presuming that the intent is to get an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap traveler imitation, the concern arises on how does one tell apart the genuine thing from the fakes?
It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece only to learn later on that it isn't genuine and even 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 safely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a regional northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would have to be more careful in other places in Canada, especially in traveler locations where all sorts of other Canadian mementos such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, key chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are offered.
The safest places to buy Inuit sculptures to make sure credibility are constantly the reputable galleries that concentrate on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have advertisements in the city tourist guides discovered in hotels.
Trusted Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is devoted completely to Inuit art. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and perhaps Native art but none of the other normal tourist keepsakes such as postcards or tee shirts . The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all authentic pieces are signed.
A few of these Inuit art galleries likewise have websites so you might go shopping and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now reputable online galleries that also focus on authentic Inuit art. These online galleries are a good choice for buying Inuit art considering that the rates are usually lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Obviously, like any other shopping on the internet, one need to take care so when dealing with an online gallery, make sure that their pieces also come with the main Igloo tags to make sure credibility.
Some tourist Discover More stores do carry authentic Inuit art along with the other touristy keepsakes in order to cater to all kinds of tourists. When shopping at these types of stores, it is possible to tell apart the genuine pieces from the recreations. 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 reproduction made of 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 ever feature an artist's signature. An authentic Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of artwork and absolutely nothing else on the store shelves will look exactly like it. If there are duplicates of a certain piece with specific details, the piece is not genuine. It is most likely not real if a piece looks too best in information with absolute straight bottoms or sides. Obviously, if a piece includes a sticker label indicating that is was made in an Asian nation, then it is certainly a fake. There will also be a substantial price difference in between genuine pieces and the imitations.
Where it ends up being harder to figure out authenticity are with the recreations that are likewise made of stone. This can be a genuine gray area to those unfamiliar with authentic Inuit art. They do have mass and might even have some kind of tag showing that it was handmade but if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too comparable in detail, they are most likely not authentic. If a seller claims that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the main Igloo tag that includes it which will have information on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was carved. If the Igloo tag is not offered, move on. The genuine pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will always be the greatest priced and are generally kept in a separate ( possibly even locked) shelf within the shop.
Considering that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more global exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian great art form at museums and galleries located 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 assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a local northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Reputable Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is devoted completely 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 websites so you could shop and buy genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world.