Tips on How to Buy and Buy Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Lots of visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while exploring the country. Given that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more worldwide exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian fine art form at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. Presuming that the objective is to acquire an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap tourist replica, the concern emerges on how does one tell apart the real thing from the phonies?
It would be quite disappointing to bring home a piece just to learn later that it isn't authentic or even made in Canada. 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 safely presumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a local northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would need to be more cautious in other places in Canada, specifically in tourist locations 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 safest places to shop for Inuit sculptures to ensure authenticity are always the reputable galleries that specialize in Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. Some of these galleries have ads in the city tour guide found in hotels.
Reputable Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is dedicated completely to Inuit art. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be only Inuit art and possibly Native art but none of the other usual traveler souvenirs such as postcards or tee shirts . The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all authentic pieces are signed.
A few of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now reputable online galleries that likewise focus on genuine Inuit art. These online galleries are a excellent option for purchasing Inuit art because the prices are generally lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Of course, like other shopping on the internet, one must take care so when handling an online gallery, make certain that their pieces also include the official Igloo tags to ensure authenticity.
Some traveler shops do bring authentic Inuit art along with the other touristy keepsakes in order to deal with all kinds of tourists. When shopping at these types of shops, it is possible to tell apart the real pieces from the recreations. Genuine Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and for that reason should have some weight or mass to it. Stone is also 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 recreation will in some cases have a business name on it such as Wolf Originals or Boma and will never ever feature an artist's signature. An genuine Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of art work and nothing else on the shop racks will look exactly Kurt Criter like it. The piece is not authentic if there are duplicates of a specific piece with precise details. If a piece looks too perfect in detail with outright straight bottoms or sides, it is most likely not real. Of course, if a piece features a sticker showing that is was made in an Asian country, then it is obviously a fake. There will also be a big rate difference in between genuine pieces and the replicas.
Where it ends up being harder to figure out authenticity are with the recreations that are also made of stone. This can be a real gray area to those not familiar with authentic Inuit art. They do have mass and might even have some kind 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 claims that such as piece is authentic, ask to see the main Igloo tag that features it which will have information on the artist, location where it was made and the year it was carved. If the Igloo tag is not readily available, proceed. The genuine pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will constantly be the greatest priced and are typically kept in a separate ( maybe even https://medium.com/@kurtcriter locked) shelf within the store.
Considering that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more global direct exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian fine art form at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. 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 safely assumed that any Inuit art piece acquired from a regional northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Trusted Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is dedicated totally 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 likewise have websites so you could shop and purchase authentic Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world.