Tips on How to Buy and Shop for Genuine Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Numerous visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while exploring the country. These are the stunning handmade sculptures carved from stone by the Inuit artists residing in the northern Arctic areas of Canada. While in some of the major Canadian cities (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec City) or other tourist areas popular with global visitors such as Banff, Inuit sculptures will be seen at different retail stores and showed at some museums. Since Inuit art has actually been getting more and more global exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian art kind at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. As a result, it will be natural for numerous travelers and art collectors to choose that they would like to purchase Inuit sculptures as nice souvenirs for their homes or as really special presents for others. Assuming that the intention is to acquire an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap traveler replica, the question arises on how does one tell apart the genuine thing from the fakes?
It would be quite frustrating to bring home a piece only to discover later that it isn't really authentic or perhaps made in Canada. If one is fortunate enough to be taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their fantastic art work, then it can be securely assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a regional northern shop or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would need to be more mindful elsewhere in Canada, particularly in traveler locations where all sorts of other Canadian souvenirs such as t-shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, essential chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The best places to look for Inuit sculptures to make sure credibility are always the reliable galleries that specialize in Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have advertisements in the city tourist guides discovered in hotels.
Respectable Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is devoted entirely to Inuit art. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be only Inuit art and possibly Native art but none of the other normal traveler keepsakes such as t-shirts or postcards . The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all genuine pieces are signed.
A few of these Inuit art galleries also have websites so you could shop and purchase authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now respectable online galleries that also concentrate on genuine Inuit art. These online galleries are a excellent choice for buying Inuit art because the prices are generally lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Obviously, like other shopping on the internet, one must take care so when handling an online gallery, make certain that their pieces also come with the main Igloo tags to guarantee credibility.
Some traveler stores do carry genuine Inuit art along with the other touristy souvenirs in order to deal with all types of travelers. When shopping at these types of shops, it is possible to differentiate the real pieces from the reproductions. Authentic 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 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 company name on it such as Wolf Originals or Boma and will never feature an artist's signature. An genuine Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of art work and nothing else on the shop racks will look exactly like it. The piece is not genuine if there are duplicates of a particular piece with specific details. It is probably not real if a piece looks too perfect in information with outright straight bottoms or sides. Of course, if a piece features a sticker label indicating that is was made in an Asian country, then it is undoubtedly a fake. There will also be a huge rate difference between authentic pieces and the replicas.
Where it ends up being harder to figure out authenticity are with the reproductions that are likewise made of stone. This can be a genuine gray area to those not familiar with genuine Inuit art. They do have mass and may even have some kind of tag indicating that it was handmade but if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too comparable in detail, they are most likely not genuine. If a seller claims that such as piece is genuine, 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 offered, move on. The genuine pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will always be the highest priced and are normally kept in a separate (perhaps even locked) shelf within the store.
Since Inuit art has been getting more and Kurt Criter Denver more global direct exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian fine art kind at galleries and museums located 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 assumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Kurt Criter Denver Reliable 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 but not all authentic pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you might go shopping and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.