Tips on How to Buy and Look 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. Given that Inuit art has been getting more and more international exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian great art type at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. Assuming that the intention is to acquire an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a low-cost traveler imitation, the question emerges on how does one tell apart the real thing from the fakes?
It would be quite disappointing to bring home a piece only to learn later on that it isn't genuine and even made in Canada. If one is lucky 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 bought from a local northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would need to be more cautious in other places in Canada, particularly in traveler locations where all sorts of other Canadian mementos such as t-shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, essential chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The most safe locations to shop for Inuit sculptures to make sure authenticity 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 discovered in hotels.
Credible Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which adheres completely to Inuit art. These galleries will usually be located in the downtown tourist locations of significant cities. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be only Inuit art and maybe Native art but none of the other typical traveler souvenirs such as tee shirts or postcards . These galleries will have only genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not deal with replicas or phonies . Just to be even safer, make sure that the piece you have an interest in includes a Canadian federal government Igloo tag certifying that it was handmade by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all authentic pieces are signed. So be aware that an anonymous piece may still be undoubtedly authentic.
Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could go shopping and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from house throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now respectable online galleries that likewise concentrate on genuine Inuit art. These online galleries are a great choice for buying Inuit art since 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 be careful so when handling an online gallery, make certain that their pieces also include the main Igloo tags to guarantee credibility.
Some traveler stores do bring genuine Inuit art as well as the other touristy mementos in order to cater to all types of travelers. Authentic Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and therefore must have some weight or mass to it. An genuine Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of artwork and nothing else on the shop shelves will look exactly like it.
This can be a real gray location to those unknown with genuine Inuit art. If a seller declares that such as piece is authentic, 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 genuine pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will always be the greatest priced and are usually kept in a separate ( maybe even locked) shelf within the store.
Because Inuit art has actually been getting more and more global exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian great art kind 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 terrific art work, then it can be securely presumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a local northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Trustworthy Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is dedicated entirely to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture may be Kurt Criter 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 websites so you could go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world.