Tips on The Best Ways To Purchase and Look For Genuine Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures



Numerous visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while touring the nation. These are the stunning handmade sculptures sculpted from stone by the Inuit artists residing in the northern Arctic areas of Canada. While in some of the significant Canadian cities (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec City) or other tourist areas popular with global visitors such as Banff, Inuit sculptures will be seen at different retail stores and displayed at some museums. Given that Inuit art has been getting more and more global exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian art type at galleries and museums situated outside Canada too. As a result, it will be natural for numerous travelers and art collectors to decide that they want to buy Inuit sculptures as nice souvenirs for their houses or as really distinct presents for others. Assuming that the intention is to acquire an authentic piece of Inuit art instead of a inexpensive tourist imitation, the question occurs on how does one tell apart the genuine thing from the phonies?

It would be quite frustrating to bring home a piece just to find out later on that it isn't genuine and even 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 artwork, then it can be securely assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a regional northern shop or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would need to be more careful in other places in Canada, particularly in tourist locations 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 safest places to buy Inuit sculptures to ensure credibility are constantly the respectable galleries that focus on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have advertisements in the city tour guide discovered in hotels.

Respectable Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which adheres totally to Inuit art. These galleries will typically be found in the downtown tourist areas of major cities. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and possibly Native art however none of the other typical tourist souvenirs such as postcards or tee shirts . These galleries will have just genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not deal with fakes or imitations . Just to be even more secure, make sure that the piece you are interested in comes with a Canadian government Igloo tag licensing that it was handcrafted by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all authentic pieces are signed. So be aware that an anonymous piece may still be undoubtedly authentic.

A few of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could shop and purchase authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now trusted online galleries that likewise specialize in genuine Inuit art. These online galleries are a good alternative for purchasing Inuit art given that the rates are typically lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Obviously, like any other shopping on the internet, one need to take care so when handling an online gallery, make certain that their pieces also include the official Igloo tags to ensure authenticity. Kurt Criter

Some tourist shops do carry authentic Inuit art as well as the other touristy souvenirs in order to deal with all types of travelers. When shopping at these types of stores, it is possible to tell apart the genuine pieces from the reproductions. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and for that reason ought to 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 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 authentic Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of artwork and absolutely nothing else on the shop racks will look precisely like it. The piece is not authentic if there are duplicates of a particular piece with precise information. If a piece looks too perfect in detail with absolute straight bottoms or sides, it is probably not real. Obviously, if a piece features a sticker indicating that is was made in an Asian nation, then it is clearly a phony. There will likewise be a substantial rate distinction in between genuine pieces and the replicas.

Where it ends up being harder to identify credibility are with the reproductions 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 that look too comparable in detail, they are more than likely not authentic. If a seller declares that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the main Igloo tag that includes it which will know on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was carved. Move on if the Igloo tag is not available. The authentic pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will constantly be the highest priced and are usually kept in a different ( maybe even locked) shelf within the shop.


Since Inuit art has actually been getting more and more international exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian great art kind at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. If one is fortunate enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their wonderful artwork, then it can be securely presumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a local northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Respectable Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is dedicated totally to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture may 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 genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.

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