Tips on How to Buy and Buy Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures
Numerous visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while exploring the nation. Since Inuit art has been getting more and more global direct exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian great art form at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. Presuming that the objective is to acquire an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap tourist imitation, the question emerges on how does one tell apart the real thing from the phonies?
It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece only to discover later that it isn't authentic or 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 wonderful artwork, then it can be safely assumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would need to be more careful somewhere else in Canada, specifically in traveler areas where all sorts of other Canadian mementos such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, crucial chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are offered.
The most safe places to look for Inuit sculptures to make sure authenticity are always the reliable galleries that concentrate on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have ads in the city tour guide found in hotels.
Respectable Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is devoted entirely to Inuit art. These galleries will generally be found in the downtown traveler areas of significant cities. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and possibly Native art but none of the other usual traveler souvenirs such as tee shirts or postcards . These galleries will have only genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not deal with imitations or phonies . Just to be even safer, ensure that the piece you have an interest in includes a Canadian federal government Igloo tag accrediting that it was handcrafted click site by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all authentic pieces are signed. Be conscious that an anonymous piece might still be undoubtedly genuine.
Some of these Inuit art galleries also have websites so you could go shopping 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 concentrate on authentic Inuit art. Because of lower overheads, these online galleries are a great choice for purchasing Inuit art given that the rates are typically lower than those at street retail galleries. Obviously, like other shopping on the internet, one should beware so when dealing with an online gallery, make sure that their pieces also feature the official Igloo tags to guarantee authenticity.
Some tourist shops do carry genuine Inuit art as well as the other touristy keepsakes in order to cater to all types of tourists. Genuine Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and for that reason must have some weight or mass to it. An genuine Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of art work and nothing else on the shop racks will look precisely like it.
This can be a genuine gray location to those unknown with genuine Inuit art. If a seller declares that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the official Igloo tag that comes with it which will have information on the artist, location where it was made and the year it was sculpted. The genuine pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will constantly be the highest priced and are generally kept in a separate ( maybe even locked) rack within the store.
Considering that 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 taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their wonderful artwork, then it can be safely presumed that any Inuit art piece acquired from a local northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Trustworthy Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is dedicated entirely to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all authentic pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you might go shopping and buy genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world.