Tips on The Best 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 visiting the country. Because Inuit art has actually been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, individuals may be seeing this Canadian great art type at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. Presuming that the intention is to get an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a low-cost tourist replica, the concern occurs on how does one tell apart the real thing from the fakes?
It would be quite disappointing to bring home a piece only to discover later on that it isn't authentic or perhaps made in Canada. If one is lucky enough to be taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their fantastic artwork, 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 genuine. One would have to be more cautious in other places in Canada, particularly in traveler locations where all sorts of other Canadian souvenirs such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, key chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The most safe places to purchase Inuit sculptures to ensure authenticity are always the credible galleries that specialize in 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 also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is devoted completely to Inuit art. These galleries will generally be located in the downtown tourist areas of significant cities. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and perhaps Native art however none of the other normal traveler souvenirs such as postcards or tee shirts . These galleries will have just genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not deal with phonies or imitations . Just to be even much safer, make sure that the piece you are interested in comes with a Canadian government Igloo tag certifying that it was handcrafted by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all genuine pieces are signed. So be aware that an anonymous piece may still be certainly authentic.
Some of these Inuit art galleries also have websites 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 reputable online galleries that likewise focus on authentic Inuit art. Since of lower overheads, these online galleries are a good alternative for buying Inuit art because the prices are usually lower than those at street retail galleries. Obviously, like other shopping on the internet, one must be careful so when handling an online gallery, make sure that their pieces also include the official Igloo tags to make sure authenticity.
Some tourist shops do bring genuine Inuit art as well as the other touristy keepsakes in order to cater to all types of travelers. Genuine Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and therefore needs to have some weight or mass to it. An authentic Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of art work and absolutely nothing else on the shop racks will look exactly like it.
Where it becomes harder to figure out authenticity are with the recreations that are likewise made from stone. This can be a genuine gray area to those not familiar with authentic Inuit art. They do have mass and may even have some kind of tag indicating that it was handmade however if there are other pieces on the shelves Kurt Criter that look too comparable in detail, they are probably not authentic. If a seller claims that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the official Igloo tag that features it which will know on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was sculpted. If the Igloo tag is not offered, move on. The authentic pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will constantly be the highest priced and are normally kept in a separate ( possibly even locked) rack 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 type at galleries and museums situated outside Canada too. If one is fortunate enough to be taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their wonderful artwork, then it can be securely assumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Reputable Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is dedicated entirely to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all genuine pieces are signed. Some of these Kurt Criter Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you might go shopping and purchase authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.