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 nation. Considering that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more international exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian fine art type at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. Presuming that the intent is to acquire an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap traveler replica, the concern occurs on how does one tell apart the genuine thing from the fakes?
It would be quite disappointing to bring home a piece only to learn later that it isn't really genuine or 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 wonderful artwork, then it can be securely assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a regional northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would have to be more mindful elsewhere in Canada, especially in traveler areas where all sorts of other Canadian mementos such as t-shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, essential chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The safest locations to shop for Inuit sculptures to make sure authenticity are constantly the reputable galleries that focus on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have advertisements in the city tour guide found in hotels.
Trusted Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is dedicated completely to Inuit art. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and possibly Native art however none of the other typical traveler keepsakes such as t-shirts or postcards . The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all authentic pieces are signed.
Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you might shop and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now respectable online galleries that also specialize in genuine Inuit art. Since of lower overheads, these online galleries are a great option for buying Inuit art given that the rates are generally lower than those at street retail galleries. Naturally, like other shopping on the internet, one should be careful so when handling an online gallery, make certain that their pieces also come with the official Igloo tags to make sure authenticity.
Some traveler stores do carry genuine Inuit art in addition to the other touristy keepsakes in order to cater to all kinds of tourists. When shopping at these types of shops, it is possible to tell apart the genuine pieces from the reproductions. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and for that reason ought to 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 recreation will often have a business 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 racks will look exactly like it. The piece is not authentic if there are duplicates of a particular piece with exact details. It is probably not real if a piece looks too perfect in detail with outright straight bottoms or sides. Naturally, if a piece includes a sticker label suggesting that is was made in an Asian country, then it is clearly a fake. There will likewise be a big rate difference between genuine pieces and the imitations.
Where it becomes harder to identify 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 suggesting that it was handmade but if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too comparable in detail, they are probably not authentic. If a seller claims that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the main Igloo tag that features it which will know on the artist, place where it was made and the year it was sculpted. If the Igloo tag is not offered, carry on. The authentic pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will always be the greatest priced and are generally kept in a separate (perhaps even locked) shelf within the store.
Considering that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more global direct exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian fine art form at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. If one is lucky enough to be taking a trip in the Kurt Criter Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their fantastic art Kurt Criter Denver work, then it can be securely assumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a regional northern shop or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Trustworthy Inuit art galleries are also listed 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 sites so you could go shopping and purchase authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.