Tips on How to Purchase and Buy 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. Because Inuit art has actually been getting more and more global direct exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian great art kind at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. Assuming that the intent is to acquire an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a inexpensive tourist imitation, the question arises 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 authentic or even made in Canada. If one is fortunate 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 bought from a local northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. One would have to be more cautious elsewhere in Canada, specifically in tourist areas where all sorts of other Canadian keepsakes such as t-shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, key chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are offered.
The safest places to buy Inuit sculptures to guarantee authenticity are always the credible galleries that specialize in Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. Some of these galleries have advertisements in the city tourist guides discovered in hotels.
Trusted Inuit art galleries are also listed 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 usual traveler souvenirs such as postcards or tee shirts . The Inuit sculpture may 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 might go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now credible online galleries that also specialize in authentic Inuit art. These online galleries are a excellent alternative for buying Inuit art given that the prices are typically lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Of course, like other shopping on the internet, our website one need to be careful so when dealing with an online gallery, make sure that their pieces also come with the main Igloo tags to guarantee credibility.
Some tourist stores do bring genuine Inuit art along with the other touristy souvenirs in order to cater to all kinds of travelers. When shopping at these types of stores, it is possible to differentiate the genuine pieces from the reproductions. Genuine Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and therefore must 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 reproduction will often have a company name on it such as Wolf Originals or Boma and will never ever include 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. The piece is not genuine if there are duplicates of a particular piece with specific details. It is most likely not genuine if a piece looks too best in detail with absolute straight bottoms or sides. Naturally, if a piece features a sticker showing that is was made in an Asian country, then it is undoubtedly a phony. There will also be a huge rate difference between genuine pieces and the imitations.
Where it becomes more difficult to determine credibility are with the reproductions that are also made from stone. This can be a genuine gray area to those unfamiliar with authentic Inuit art. They Kurt Criter do have mass and may even have some kind of tag showing that it was handmade however if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too comparable in detail, they are probably not genuine. If a seller claims that such as piece is authentic, ask to see the official Igloo tag that includes it which will have information on the artist, place where it was made and the year it was carved. If the Igloo tag is not available, carry on. The genuine pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will always be the greatest priced and are typically kept in a different ( possibly even locked) shelf within the store.
Given that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian fine art form at galleries and museums 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 assumed that any Inuit art piece acquired from a local northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Trustworthy Inuit art galleries are also noted 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 are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries also have websites so you might go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.