Tips on Ways To Buy and Shop for Genuine 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 international direct exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian great art form at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. Assuming that the intention is to acquire an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a low-cost tourist replica, the question arises on how does one inform apart the real thing from the fakes?
It would be quite disappointing to bring home a piece only to discover later that it isn't genuine and even made in Canada. If one is fortunate enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their fantastic artwork, then it can be safely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a regional northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. One would have to be more cautious in other places in Canada, especially in tourist locations where all sorts of other Canadian keepsakes such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, key chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are offered.
The safest places to shop for Inuit sculptures to make sure credibility are always the trusted galleries that concentrate on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have ads in the city tour guide found in hotels.
Trustworthy Inuit art galleries are likewise listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is devoted entirely to Inuit art. These galleries will generally be located in the downtown traveler areas of major cities. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and perhaps Native art however none of the other usual tourist keepsakes such as t-shirts or postcards . These galleries will have only authentic Inuit art for sale as they do not deal with fakes or imitations . Just to be even much safer, make sure that the piece you are interested in includes a Canadian 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 authentic pieces are signed. Be conscious that an unsigned piece may still be indeed genuine.
Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you might shop and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now credible online galleries that also specialize in genuine Inuit art.
Some traveler shops do bring genuine Inuit art in addition to the other touristy keepsakes in order to cater to all kinds of travelers. When shopping at these types of stores, it is possible to differentiate the real pieces from the reproductions. Genuine Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and therefore must have some weight or mass to it. Stone is likewise 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 ever feature an artist's signature. An genuine Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of art work and absolutely nothing else on the store shelves will look precisely like it. The piece is not genuine if there are duplicates of a certain piece with precise details. If a piece looks too best in detail with absolute straight bottoms or sides, it is most likely not real. Of course, if a piece features a sticker showing that is was made in an Asian nation, then it is obviously a fake. There will also be a huge price difference between authentic pieces and the imitations.
This can be a genuine gray location to those unfamiliar with genuine Inuit art. If a seller claims 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 sculpted. The authentic pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will always be the greatest priced and are usually kept in a separate ( maybe even locked) rack within the shop.
Because Inuit art has been getting more and more international direct exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian fine art type at galleries and museums situated outside Canada too. If one is lucky enough to be traveling 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 local northern shop or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Respectable Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is dedicated entirely to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics my latest blog post however not all authentic pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries also have great post to read sites so you could shop and buy genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.