Tips on How to Buy and Look For Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Many visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while visiting the country. Given that Inuit art has been getting more and more global exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian great art type at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. Assuming that the intent is to acquire an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap traveler imitation, the question arises on how does one tell apart the genuine thing from the fakes?
It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece only to discover later that it isn't really authentic or perhaps made in Canada. 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 securely presumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a regional northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would have to be more mindful in other places in Canada, specifically in tourist areas where all sorts of other Canadian mementos such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, key chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.
The most safe places to look for Inuit sculptures to ensure credibility are constantly the trustworthy galleries that concentrate on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have advertisements in the city tourist guides discovered in hotels.
Reliable Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is dedicated totally to Inuit art. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and perhaps Native art but none of the other normal traveler mementos such as tee shirts or postcards . The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all genuine pieces are signed.
Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you could shop and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now trustworthy online galleries that also focus on authentic Inuit art. These online galleries are a great alternative for buying Inuit art since the rates are normally lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Naturally, like any other shopping on the internet, one should beware so when handling an online gallery, make sure that their pieces likewise include the main Igloo tags to ensure credibility.
Some traveler stores do carry authentic Inuit art in addition to the other touristy souvenirs in order to accommodate all types of travelers. When shopping at these types of shops, it is possible to tell apart the real pieces from the reproductions. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and therefore needs to have some weight or mass to it. Stone is likewise cold to the touch. A recreation 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 sometimes have a company name Kurt Criter 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 precisely Kurt Criter like it. If there are duplicates of a particular 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 label suggesting that is was made in an Asian country, then it is obviously a phony. There will also be a big rate distinction in between genuine pieces and the imitations.
This can be a real gray location to those unfamiliar with genuine Inuit art. If a seller claims that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the official Igloo tag that comes with it which will have info on the artist, location where it was made and the year it was sculpted. The authentic pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will always be the greatest priced and are typically kept in a separate ( possibly even locked) shelf within the store.
Because Inuit art has actually been getting more and more international exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian great art form at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. If one is fortunate enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their terrific artwork, 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. Reliable Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is devoted completely to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all try this out genuine pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries also have websites so you could go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.