Tips on How to Buy and Buy Genuine Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures



Lots of visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while touring the country. Considering that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more international exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian fine art kind at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. Presuming that the intention is to get an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a inexpensive traveler replica, the question occurs on how does one inform apart the genuine thing from the phonies?

It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece only to discover later on that it isn't genuine or 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 terrific artwork, then it can be securely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would need to be more mindful elsewhere in Canada, especially in traveler areas where all sorts of other Canadian souvenirs such as t-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 ensure authenticity are always the reliable galleries that focus on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have advertisements in the city tourist guides found in hotels.

Trusted Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which adheres completely to Inuit art. These galleries will normally be located in the downtown traveler areas of major cities. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and possibly Native art however none of the other typical traveler souvenirs such as tee shirts or postcards . These galleries will have just authentic Inuit art for sale as they do not deal with fakes or replicas . Just to be even much safer, ensure that the piece you have an interest in features a Canadian government Igloo tag certifying that it was handcrafted by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics but not all genuine pieces are signed. Be conscious that an unsigned piece might still be undoubtedly authentic.

Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now reputable online galleries that also concentrate on genuine Inuit art. These online galleries are a good choice for buying Inuit art since the costs are normally lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Naturally, like other shopping on the internet, one must be careful so when dealing with an online gallery, ensure that their pieces also include the official Igloo tags to ensure authenticity.

Some my blog traveler stores do carry authentic Inuit art as well as the other touristy souvenirs in order to accommodate all types of tourists. When shopping at these kinds of shops, it is possible to tell apart the real pieces from the recreations. Authentic Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and therefore needs to have some weight or mass to it. Stone is likewise cold to the touch. A reproduction 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 in some cases have a company name on it such as Wolf Originals or Boma and will never feature an artist's signature. An genuine Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of artwork and absolutely nothing else on the store racks will look exactly like it. If there are duplicates of a specific piece with precise details, the piece is not genuine. It is probably not genuine if a piece looks too ideal in information with outright straight bottoms or sides. Obviously, if a piece includes a sticker indicating that is was made in an Asian nation, then it is obviously a phony. There will also be a big price distinction between authentic pieces and the imitations.

Where it becomes harder to identify authenticity are with the reproductions that are also made from stone. This can be a genuine gray area to those unfamiliar with genuine Inuit art. They do have mass and may even have some kind of tag indicating that it was handmade but if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too similar in detail, they are more than likely not authentic. If a seller claims that such as piece is authentic, ask to see the official Igloo tag that comes with it which will have information on the artist, place where it was made and the year it was carved. If the Igloo tag is not readily available, carry on. The authentic pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will constantly be the highest priced and are usually kept in a different ( possibly even locked) shelf within the store.


Considering that Inuit art has been getting more and more global exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian fine art kind at museums and galleries 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 terrific artwork, then it can be safely assumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern shop or straight from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Reputable Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication 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 genuine pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could shop and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.

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