Tips on How to Buy and Shop for Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Lots of visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while visiting the country. Because Inuit art has been getting more and more global exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian fine art kind at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. Presuming that the intention is to obtain an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a low-cost tourist imitation, the concern arises on how does one inform apart the genuine thing from the fakes?
It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece only to discover later that it isn't 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 terrific art work, then it can be securely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would need 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, essential chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The best locations to purchase Inuit sculptures to ensure credibility are always the credible galleries that concentrate on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. Some of these galleries have advertisements in the city tour guide found in hotels.
Respectable Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine 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 souvenirs 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 could go shopping and purchase authentic Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now respectable online galleries that also specialize in authentic Inuit art.
Some tourist stores do carry authentic Inuit art as well as the other touristy souvenirs in order to cater to all kinds of travelers. When shopping at these types of stores, it is possible to tell apart the genuine pieces from the recreations. Genuine Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and for that reason ought to have some weight or mass to it. Stone is also cold to the touch. A recreation made from plastic or my link resin from a mold will be much lighter in weight and will not be cold to the touch. A reproduction will often have a business name on it such as Wolf Originals or Boma and will never ever include an artist's signature. An genuine Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of art work and nothing else on the store shelves will look precisely like it. If there are duplicates of a specific piece with specific information, the piece is not authentic. It is most likely not real if a piece looks too best in detail with absolute 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 clearly a fake. There will also be a big rate difference between genuine pieces and the imitations.
Where it becomes more difficult to identify authenticity are with the recreations that are likewise made of stone. This can be Kurt Criter Denver a real gray area to those not familiar with authentic Inuit art. They do have mass and might 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, see post they are most likely not genuine. If a seller declares that such as piece is authentic, ask to see the main Igloo tag that comes with it which will have information on the artist, location where it was made and the year it was sculpted. Move on if the Igloo tag is not available. The authentic pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will always be the highest priced and are generally kept in a separate (perhaps even locked) rack within the shop.
Considering that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more international direct exposure, individuals may be seeing this Canadian great art form at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. If one is fortunate enough to be taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their terrific artwork, then it can be securely assumed that any Inuit art piece acquired from a local northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Reliable 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 but not all genuine pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you could go shopping and buy genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.