Tips on How to Buy and Shop for Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures



Lots of visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while visiting the nation. Considering that Inuit art has been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian great art type at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. Assuming that the intent is to obtain an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a low-cost traveler imitation, the concern develops on how does one tell apart the genuine thing from the fakes?

It would be pretty frustrating to bring home a piece just to learn later that it isn't really genuine or perhaps made in Canada. If one is fortunate enough to be taking a trip 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 authentic. One would have to be more cautious elsewhere in Canada, especially in tourist areas where all sorts of other Canadian keepsakes such as t-shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, key chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are offered.

The most safe locations to look for Inuit sculptures to make sure credibility are constantly the trusted galleries that specialize in Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have advertisements in the city tour guide found in hotels.

Reliable Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is dedicated entirely to Inuit art. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be only Inuit art and perhaps Native art but none of the other normal traveler keepsakes such as t-shirts or postcards . The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all authentic pieces are signed.

Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could shop and buy genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now credible online galleries that also concentrate on genuine Inuit art. These online galleries are a good alternative for buying Inuit art considering that the prices are normally lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Of course, like any other shopping on the internet, one should be careful so when handling an online gallery, ensure that their pieces also include the main Igloo tags to ensure credibility.

Some tourist shops do carry genuine Inuit art along with the other touristy keepsakes in order to accommodate all kinds of travelers. When shopping at these types of stores, it is possible to differentiate the real pieces from the recreations. 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 reproduction made of plastic or resin from a mold will be much lighter in weight and will not be cold to the touch. A reproduction will sometimes have a company name on it such as Wolf Originals or Boma and will never ever feature an artist's signature. 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. If there are duplicates of a certain piece with specific information, the piece is not genuine. If a piece looks too best in detail with outright straight bottoms or sides, it is most likely not real. Of course, if a piece includes a sticker suggesting that is was made in an Asian country, then it is clearly a fake. There will also be a substantial price distinction between authentic pieces and the replicas.

Where it ends up being harder to figure out credibility are with the reproductions that are likewise made from stone. This can be a real gray area to those not familiar with genuine Inuit art. They do have mass and may even have some type 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 claims that such as piece is genuine, ask Kurt Criter Denver 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 carved. If the Igloo tag is not available, carry on. The authentic pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will always be the highest priced and are typically kept in a different (perhaps even locked) rack within https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Criter the store.


Because Inuit art has been getting more and more international exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian great art form 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 presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Reputable Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is devoted entirely 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 read review also have sites so you could go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.

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