Tips on How to Purchase and Shop for Genuine Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Lots of visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while exploring the nation. Given that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian fine art form at galleries and museums situated outside Canada too. Presuming that the intention is to obtain an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a inexpensive tourist replica, the question arises on how does one inform apart the real thing from the phonies?
It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece only to find out later 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 wonderful art work, then it can be securely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would need to be more careful in other places in Canada, particularly in tourist areas where all sorts of other Canadian mementos such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, essential chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are offered.
The most safe places to buy Inuit sculptures to ensure credibility are constantly the trustworthy galleries that focus on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have advertisements in the city tourist guides found in hotels.
Trustworthy Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which adheres totally to Inuit art. These galleries will normally be located 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 perhaps Native art but none of the other usual tourist souvenirs such as postcards or tee shirts . These galleries will have only genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not handle replicas or phonies . Just to be even safer, ensure that the piece you have an interest in features a Canadian government Igloo tag certifying that it was handcrafted 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. So understand that an anonymous piece may still be indeed genuine.
Some of these Inuit art galleries also have websites so you could go shopping and purchase authentic Inuit art sculpture from home throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now reliable online galleries that also focus on genuine Inuit art. These online galleries are a good option for purchasing Inuit art considering that the rates are usually lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Of course, like any other shopping on the internet, one must take care so when dealing with an online gallery, ensure that their pieces likewise come with the official Igloo tags to guarantee authenticity.
Some traveler stores do bring genuine Inuit art along with the other touristy keepsakes in order to accommodate all types of travelers. When shopping at these types of shops, it is possible to tell apart the genuine pieces from the reproductions. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and therefore should have some weight or mass to it. Stone is also cold to the touch. A recreation made of plastic or resin from a news mold will be much lighter in weight and will not be cold to the touch. A recreation will sometimes have a business name on it such as Wolf Originals or Boma websites and will never feature an artist's signature. An genuine Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of artwork and nothing else on the shop racks will look exactly like it. The piece is not authentic if there are duplicates of a certain piece with exact details. It is probably not genuine if a piece looks too ideal in information with outright straight bottoms or sides. Obviously, if a piece includes a sticker suggesting that is was made in an Asian nation, then it is certainly a phony. There will also be a substantial price distinction between genuine pieces and the replicas.
Where it becomes more difficult to identify credibility are with the reproductions that are also made from stone. This can be a genuine gray area to those unfamiliar with genuine Inuit art. They do have mass and may 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, they are most likely not genuine. If a seller claims that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the main Igloo tag that features it which will have information on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was sculpted. Move on if the Igloo tag is not offered. The genuine pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will always be the greatest priced and are generally kept in a different ( possibly even locked) rack within the shop.
Given that Inuit art has been getting more and more international exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian fine art kind at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. If one is lucky 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 authentic. Trusted Inuit art galleries are likewise listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is dedicated completely to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but 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 home anywhere in the world.