Tips on How to Purchase and Shop for Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Many visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while visiting the nation. These are the magnificent handmade sculptures carved from stone by the Inuit artists residing in the northern Arctic regions of Canada. While in a few of the significant Canadian cities (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec City) or other tourist locations popular with international visitors such as Banff, Inuit sculptures will be seen at different retail shops and displayed at some museums. Because Inuit art has actually been getting a growing number of global exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian fine art kind at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. As a result, it will be natural for lots of tourists and art collectors to decide that they want to purchase Inuit sculptures as great souvenirs for their homes or as really distinct presents for others. Assuming that the intention is to obtain an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap tourist replica, the concern arises on how does one differentiate the real thing from the phonies?
It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece only to learn later that it isn't really authentic and even made in Canada. If one is lucky enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their wonderful art work, then it can be safely assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a regional northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would have to be more cautious somewhere else in Canada, particularly in tourist areas where all sorts of other Canadian keepsakes such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, essential chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The safest locations to shop for Inuit sculptures to guarantee authenticity are constantly the trusted galleries that focus on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have ads in the city tour guide discovered in hotels.
Reputable Inuit art galleries are likewise listed in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is devoted totally to Inuit art. These galleries will normally be found in the downtown traveler locations of major cities. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and possibly Native art but none of the other usual tourist souvenirs such as tee shirts or postcards . These galleries will have only genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not deal with fakes or replicas . Just to be even safer, make sure that the piece you have an interest in comes with a Canadian government Igloo tag accrediting that it was handmade by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all genuine pieces are signed. Be mindful that an unsigned piece may still be indeed genuine.
A few of these Inuit art galleries also have websites so you could go shopping and buy genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now trusted online galleries that also focus on authentic Inuit art. Since of lower overheads, these online galleries are a great choice for buying Inuit art considering that the costs are usually lower than those at street retail galleries. Of course, like any other shopping on the internet, one should beware so when handling an online gallery, make sure that their pieces also feature the official Igloo Kurt Criter Denver tags to ensure credibility.
Some tourist shops do carry genuine Inuit art as well as the other touristy mementos in order to deal with all kinds of travelers. When shopping at these types of shops, it is possible to differentiate the genuine pieces from the recreations. Genuine Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and therefore 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 reproduction find this will sometimes 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 shop shelves will look exactly like it. If there are duplicates of a certain piece with specific information, the piece is not genuine. It is most likely not genuine if a piece looks too best in information with absolute straight bottoms or sides. Of course, if a piece includes a sticker indicating that is was made in an Asian nation, then it is obviously a phony. There will likewise be a substantial rate difference between genuine pieces and the replicas.
Where it becomes harder to identify credibility are with the reproductions that are also 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 type of tag indicating that it was handmade however if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too similar 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 comes with 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 readily available, move on. The genuine pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will always be the highest priced and are typically kept in a different (perhaps even locked) shelf within the store.
Since Inuit art has actually been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, individuals may be seeing this Canadian fine art form at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. If one is lucky enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their wonderful art work, then it can be safely assumed that any Inuit art piece acquired from a regional northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Credible Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is dedicated totally to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all genuine pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.