Tips on How to Purchase and Look For Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Many visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while exploring the nation. Considering that Inuit art has been getting more and more global exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian fine art kind at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. Presuming that the intent is to get an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap tourist imitation, the question arises on how does one inform apart the real thing from the fakes?
It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece just to discover later that it isn't really genuine or perhaps made in Canada. If one is fortunate enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their wonderful art work, then it can be securely assumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a regional northern shop or straight from an Inuit carver would be genuine. One would have to be more mindful elsewhere in Canada, specifically in traveler locations where all sorts of other Canadian keepsakes such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, crucial chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The best locations to purchase Inuit sculptures to guarantee credibility are always the trustworthy galleries that concentrate on 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 likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is devoted entirely to Inuit art. These galleries will usually be located in the downtown tourist locations of major cities. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be only Inuit art and perhaps Native art however none of the other normal traveler keepsakes such as postcards or tee shirts . These galleries will have only authentic Inuit art for sale as they do not deal with fakes or imitations . Simply to be even more secure, make sure that the piece you are interested in comes with a Canadian federal government Igloo tag licensing that it was handmade by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all genuine pieces are signed. So be aware that an unsigned piece might still be undoubtedly authentic.
A few of these Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you could shop and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now trusted online galleries that also concentrate on genuine Inuit art. Since of lower overheads, these online galleries are a great alternative for purchasing Inuit art because the prices are typically lower than those at street retail galleries. Of course, like other shopping on the internet, one should take care so when handling an online gallery, make sure that their pieces likewise come with the official Igloo tags to ensure authenticity.
Some tourist shops do bring authentic Inuit art along with the other touristy mementos in order to deal with all kinds of travelers. When shopping at these types of shops, it is possible to tell apart the real pieces from the recreations. Authentic Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and for that reason must have some weight or mass to it. Stone is also cold to the touch. A reproduction made of plastic or resin from a mold will be much lighter in weight and will not be cold to the touch. A recreation will sometimes 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 art work and nothing else on the store racks will look exactly like it. The piece is not authentic if there are duplicates of a particular piece with exact details. If a piece looks too ideal in detail with absolute straight bottoms or sides, it is most likely not real. Obviously, if a piece includes a sticker indicating that is was made in an Asian country, then it is obviously a fake. There will also be a substantial cost difference between genuine pieces and the replicas.
Where it becomes more difficult to determine credibility are with the reproductions that are blog likewise made of stone. This can be a real gray area to those unfamiliar with authentic Inuit art. They do have mass and may even have some kind of tag showing that it was handmade but if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too comparable in detail, they are probably not authentic. If a seller declares that such as piece is authentic, ask to see the main 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 genuine pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will always be the highest priced and are generally kept in a separate ( maybe even locked) shelf within the shop.
Given that Inuit art has been getting more and more global direct exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian great art type at galleries and museums situated outside Canada too. If one is lucky enough to be traveling 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 local northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Trusted Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is dedicated entirely to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture may be signed Going Here by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all authentic pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries also have websites so you might go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world.