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



Many visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while visiting the country. These are the magnificent handmade sculptures sculpted from stone by the Inuit artists living in the northern Arctic areas of Canada. While in some of the major Canadian cities (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec City) or other traveler areas popular with global visitors such as Banff, Inuit sculptures will be seen at various retail stores and showed at some museums. Considering that Inuit art has actually been getting increasingly more global exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian fine art type at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. As a result, it will be natural for numerous travelers and art collectors to choose that they would like to buy Inuit sculptures as great souvenirs for their homes or as extremely special presents for others. Assuming that the intention is to obtain an genuine piece of Inuit art instead of a low-cost tourist imitation, the question occurs on how does one differentiate the genuine thing from the phonies?

It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece only to learn later on that it isn't authentic 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 fantastic artwork, then it can be securely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern shop or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would have to be more cautious somewhere else in Canada, particularly in traveler locations where all sorts of other Canadian mementos such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, crucial chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.

The safest locations to look for Inuit sculptures to ensure credibility are always the respectable galleries that specialize in Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have advertisements in the city tourist guides discovered in hotels.

Trustworthy Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which adheres entirely to Inuit art. These galleries will generally be located in the downtown traveler locations of major cities. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and maybe Native art however none of the other usual tourist keepsakes such as postcards or t-shirts . These galleries will have just genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not deal with phonies or imitations . Just to be even more secure, make sure that the piece you are interested in features a Canadian federal government Igloo tag certifying that it was handmade by a Canadian Inuit artist. The Inuit sculpture might be signed by the carver either in English or Inuit syllabics however not all genuine pieces are signed. So be aware that an unsigned piece may still be certainly genuine.

A few of these Inuit art galleries also have websites so you could shop and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from house throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialty galleries, there are now credible online galleries that likewise focus on authentic Inuit art. These online galleries are a great option for purchasing Inuit art since the rates are generally lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Of course, like other shopping on the internet, one should be careful so when handling an online gallery, ensure that their pieces likewise include the official Igloo tags to make sure authenticity.

Some traveler stores do bring authentic Inuit art in addition to the other touristy souvenirs in order to accommodate all types of tourists. When shopping at these kinds of stores, it is possible to tell apart the genuine pieces from the reproductions. Authentic Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and therefore must have some weight or mass to it. Stone is likewise 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 recreation will sometimes have a company name on it such as Wolf Originals or Boma and will never ever include an artist's signature. An genuine Inuit sculpture is a one of a kind piece of artwork and nothing else on the shop racks will look precisely like it. If there are duplicates of a specific piece with precise information, the piece is not genuine. If a piece looks too best in detail with absolute straight bottoms or sides, it is probably not real. Obviously, if a piece includes a sticker label showing that is was made in an Asian nation, then it is clearly a phony. There will likewise be a substantial cost distinction between genuine pieces and the replicas.

This can be a genuine gray area to those unknown with authentic Inuit art. If a seller declares that such as piece is authentic, ask to see the official Igloo tag that comes with it which will have details on the artist, place where it Kurt Criter Denver was made and the year it was sculpted. The authentic pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags additional reading will always be the highest priced and are usually kept in a separate ( maybe even locked) shelf within the shop.


Since Inuit art has been getting more and more global exposure, people might be seeing this Canadian great art form at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. If one is lucky enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their terrific art work, then it can be safely assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a regional northern shop or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Trustworthy 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 genuine pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you might go shopping and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *