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 visiting the nation. Considering that Inuit art has been getting more and more worldwide exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian great art kind at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. Assuming that the intention is to get an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a low-cost traveler replica, the question occurs on how does one tell apart the real thing from the fakes?
It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece only to learn later that it isn't 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 terrific artwork, 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 authentic. One would have to be more cautious elsewhere in Canada, particularly in tourist locations 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 buy Inuit sculptures to guarantee authenticity are always the trusted galleries that focus on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. Some of these galleries have advertisements in the city tourist guides found in hotels.
Credible Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is devoted totally to Inuit art. These galleries will usually be found in the downtown tourist locations of significant cities. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and maybe Native art but none of the other usual traveler souvenirs such as tee shirts or postcards . These galleries will have only authentic Inuit art for sale as they do not deal with phonies or replicas . Simply to be even more secure, make certain that the piece you are interested in features a Canadian government Igloo tag certifying that it was handcrafted by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture might 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 certainly genuine.
A few of these Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you could go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now reputable online galleries that also specialize in genuine Inuit art. These online galleries are a great alternative for buying Inuit art because the prices are normally lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Naturally, like other shopping on the internet, one must be careful so when dealing with an online gallery, make sure that their pieces likewise feature the main Igloo tags to make sure authenticity.
Some tourist shops do bring genuine Inuit art along with the other touristy souvenirs in order to cater to all kinds of tourists. When shopping at these kinds of shops, it is possible to tell apart the genuine pieces from the recreations. Genuine 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 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 sometimes have a company name on it such as Wolf Originals or Boma and will never 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 racks will look precisely like it. If there are duplicates of a particular piece with specific details, the piece is not authentic. If a piece looks too ideal in detail with outright straight bottoms or sides, it is most likely not real. Of course, if a piece includes a sticker label showing that is was made in an Asian country, then it is obviously a phony. There will likewise be a big price distinction in between authentic pieces and the replicas.
Where it ends up being more difficult to determine authenticity are with the reproductions that are also made from stone. This can be a real gray area to those not familiar with genuine Inuit art. They do have mass and may even have some kind of tag showing that it was handcrafted however if there are other 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 includes it which will have information on the artist, location where it was made and the year it was sculpted. Move on if the Igloo tag is not available. The authentic pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will constantly be the greatest priced and are usually kept in a separate ( possibly even locked) rack within the shop.
Given that Inuit art has been getting more and more international exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian fine art kind at museums and galleries 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 wonderful artwork, then it can be securely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a regional northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Reputable Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is dedicated entirely to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all genuine pieces Kurt Criter Denver are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have websites so you could go shopping and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.