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 touring the nation. Given that Inuit art has been getting more and more global direct exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian fine art form at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. Assuming that the intention is to get an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap traveler imitation, 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 just to discover later on that it isn't genuine or even made in Canada. If one is fortunate enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their terrific artwork, then it can be safely assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a local northern shop 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, crucial chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The best locations to shop for Inuit sculptures to guarantee credibility are always the reputable galleries that specialize in Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. Some of these galleries have ads in the city tour guide found in hotels.
Reliable Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is devoted entirely to Inuit art. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and perhaps Native art but none of the other normal traveler mementos such as postcards or tee shirts . The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all genuine pieces are signed.
A few of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could shop and purchase authentic Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now reputable online galleries that likewise specialize in genuine Inuit art. Since of lower overheads, these online galleries are a good choice for buying Inuit art considering that the prices are generally lower than those at street retail galleries. Of course, like other shopping on the internet, one need to be careful so when dealing with an online gallery, make certain that their pieces also include the Kurt Criter Denver official Igloo tags to make sure authenticity.
Some traveler stores do carry authentic Inuit art along with the other touristy souvenirs in order to cater to all types of travelers. When shopping at these kinds of shops, it is possible to differentiate the real pieces from the reproductions. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and therefore must have some weight or mass to it. Stone is likewise 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 often 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 nothing else on the store shelves will look exactly like it. If there are duplicates of a specific piece with precise details, the piece is not authentic. If a piece looks too perfect in detail with outright straight bottoms or sides, it is most likely not real. Of course, if a piece includes a sticker label suggesting that is was made in an Asian country, then it is certainly a fake. There will likewise be a big cost difference in between genuine pieces and the imitations.
This can be a genuine gray location to those unfamiliar with authentic Inuit art. If a seller declares that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the official Igloo tag that comes with it which will have info on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was carved. The authentic pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will constantly be the greatest priced and are typically kept in a separate ( possibly even locked) rack within the shop.
Since Inuit art has been getting more and more global direct exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian fine art type at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. If one is Going Here lucky enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their fantastic artwork, then it can be safely presumed that any Inuit art piece bought useful site from a regional northern shop or straight from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Reliable Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is devoted entirely to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all genuine 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.