Tips on Ways To Buy and Shop for Genuine Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Many visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while exploring the country. Because Inuit art has actually been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian great art form at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. Assuming that the objective is to obtain an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a low-cost traveler imitation, the question arises on how does one tell apart the real thing from the fakes?
It would be pretty frustrating to bring home a piece only to learn later on that it isn't really authentic or perhaps made in Canada. 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 safely assumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a regional northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would have to be more careful elsewhere in Canada, particularly in tourist locations 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 locations 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.
Reputable Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is devoted completely to Inuit art. These galleries will normally be found in the downtown traveler areas of major cities. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be only Inuit art and possibly Native art however none of the other normal tourist keepsakes such as t-shirts or postcards . These galleries will have only authentic Inuit art for sale as they do not handle fakes or imitations . Just to be even much safer, make sure that the piece you have an interest in includes a Canadian federal government Igloo tag accrediting that it was handmade by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all genuine pieces are signed. Be aware that an anonymous piece might still be indeed genuine.
Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now trustworthy online galleries that also focus on genuine Inuit art. These online galleries are a excellent option for purchasing Inuit art considering that the prices are generally lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Of course, like other shopping on the internet, one need to beware so when dealing with an online gallery, ensure that their pieces likewise feature the main Igloo tags to make sure credibility.
Some tourist stores do carry genuine Inuit art as well as the other touristy mementos in order to accommodate all types of travelers. When shopping at these kinds of shops, it is possible to differentiate the genuine pieces from the reproductions. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and for that reason needs to have some weight or mass to it. Stone is likewise 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 will sometimes have a business 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 art work and nothing else on the shop racks will look exactly like it. If there are duplicates of a specific piece with exact details, the piece is not genuine. It is most likely not real if a piece looks too perfect in detail with outright straight bottoms or sides. Naturally, if a piece includes a sticker suggesting that is was made in an Asian country, then it is clearly a fake. There will also be a big price distinction in between genuine pieces and the imitations.
Where it becomes harder to determine credibility are with the recreations that are likewise made of Homepage stone. This can be a real gray area to those unfamiliar with genuine Inuit art. They do have mass and might even have some type of tag showing that it was handmade but if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too similar in detail, they are more than likely not authentic. If a seller declares that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the official Igloo tag that includes it which will know on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was carved. If the Igloo tag is not offered, move on. The authentic pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will always be the highest priced and are usually kept in a separate ( possibly even locked) shelf within the shop.
Because Inuit art has been getting more and more worldwide exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian fine art type at galleries and museums situated outside Canada too. 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 safely assumed that any Inuit art piece acquired from a local northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Respectable Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is dedicated completely 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 likewise have websites so you might shop and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.