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 exploring the nation. Since Inuit art has been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, people may be seeing this Canadian great art kind at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. Presuming that the intent is to get an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a low-cost traveler replica, the concern occurs on how does one inform apart the genuine thing from the fakes?

It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece just to find out later that it isn't genuine or perhaps made in Canada. If one is lucky enough to be taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their fantastic art work, then it can be safely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would need to be more mindful elsewhere in Canada, specifically in tourist locations where all sorts of other Canadian keepsakes such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, key chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.

The best places to shop for Inuit sculptures to make sure credibility are constantly the reputable galleries that focus on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have advertisements in the city tour guide found in hotels.

Credible Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which adheres completely to Inuit art. These galleries will usually be located in the downtown traveler locations of major cities. When one strolls into these galleries, one will see that there will be only Inuit art and possibly Native art however none of the other usual tourist mementos such as t-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 safer, ensure that the piece you have an interest in comes with a Canadian government Igloo tag licensing 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 authentic pieces are signed. Be aware that an anonymous piece might still be indeed genuine.

A few of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could shop and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from house throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now credible online galleries that also concentrate on authentic Inuit art. These online galleries are a good choice for buying Inuit art since the rates are typically lower than those at street retail galleries because of lower overheads. Of course, like any other shopping on the internet, one should be careful so when handling an online gallery, ensure that their pieces likewise come with the main Igloo tags to ensure authenticity.

Some tourist stores do carry authentic Inuit art along with the other touristy souvenirs in order to cater to all kinds of travelers. When shopping at these types of shops, it is possible to differentiate the genuine pieces from the recreations. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and therefore should have some weight or mass to it. Stone is also 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 business 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 art work and absolutely nothing else on the shop shelves will look exactly like it. The piece is not authentic if there are duplicates of a certain piece with precise information. It is most likely not genuine if a piece looks too perfect in information with absolute straight bottoms or sides. Naturally, if a piece features a sticker indicating that is was made in an Asian country, then it is undoubtedly a phony. There will also be a big cost distinction between authentic pieces and the replicas.

This can be a genuine gray location to those unfamiliar 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 info on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was carved. The genuine pieces with the accompanying authorities Igloo tags will always be the highest priced and are normally kept in a different ( possibly even locked) shelf within the store.


Given that Inuit art has been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian fine 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 fantastic art work, 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 genuine. Reputable Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication 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 websites so you might go shopping and purchase get redirected here authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.

Leave a Reply

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