Tips on Ways To Purchase and Shop for Authentic Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures



Many visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while touring the nation. Given that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more worldwide exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian fine art kind at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. Presuming that the intention is to acquire an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap tourist imitation, the concern arises on how does one inform apart the real thing from the phonies?

It would be pretty frustrating to bring home a piece only to find out later that it isn't really authentic or even made in Canada. If one is fortunate enough to be traveling in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their terrific artwork, then it can be securely assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a regional northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would have to be more cautious elsewhere in Canada, specifically in traveler areas where all sorts of other Canadian mementos such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, essential chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are offered.

The safest places to buy Inuit sculptures to ensure authenticity are constantly the respectable galleries that concentrate on Canadian Inuit art and Eskimo art. A few of these galleries have advertisements in the city tourist guides found in hotels.

Trustworthy Inuit art galleries are also listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is devoted completely to Inuit art. These galleries will generally be found in the downtown traveler locations of significant cities. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be only Inuit art and perhaps Native art but none of the other usual tourist mementos such as t-shirts or postcards . These galleries will have just genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not handle phonies or replicas . Just to be even safer, make sure that the piece you have an interest in includes 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 mindful that an anonymous piece may still be certainly genuine.

Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could shop and purchase genuine Inuit art sculpture from home throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now trusted online galleries that also concentrate on authentic Inuit art. Since of lower overheads, these online galleries are a excellent alternative for purchasing Inuit art since the costs are usually lower than those at street retail galleries. Obviously, like other shopping on the internet, one need to take care so when handling an online gallery, make certain that their pieces likewise feature the main Igloo tags to make sure credibility.

Some tourist shops do carry authentic Inuit art as well as the other touristy keepsakes in order to cater to all types of travelers. Genuine Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and therefore ought to have some weight or mass to it. 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.

Where it becomes harder to figure out credibility are with the recreations that are likewise made from stone. This can be a genuine gray area to those unfamiliar with authentic Inuit art. They do have mass and may even have some type of tag showing that it was handcrafted however if there are other pieces on the shelves that look too similar in detail, they are more than likely not authentic. 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, area where it was made and the year it was sculpted. Move on if the Igloo tag Full Article is not readily available. The authentic pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will constantly be the greatest priced and are typically kept in a separate (perhaps even locked) shelf within the shop.


Given that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more international exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian great art kind at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. If one is fortunate enough to be taking a trip in the Canadian Arctic where the Inuit live and make their terrific art work, then it can be safely presumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a local northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Trusted Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which is devoted 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 might go shopping and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from house anywhere in the world.

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