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



Lots of visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while exploring the country. These are the spectacular handmade sculptures sculpted from stone by the Inuit artists residing in the northern Arctic regions of Canada. While in some of the major Canadian cities (Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec City) or other tourist areas popular with worldwide visitors such as Banff, Inuit sculptures will be seen at various retail stores and showed at some museums. Considering that Inuit art has been getting a growing number of worldwide exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian fine art form at museums and galleries located outside Canada too. As a result, it will be natural for many tourists and art collectors to choose that they wish to purchase Inuit sculptures as great souvenirs for their homes or as really unique gifts for others. Assuming that the intent is to get an authentic piece of Inuit art rather than a cheap tourist replica, the question arises on how does one differentiate the real thing from the fakes?

It would be pretty disappointing to bring home a piece just to learn later that it isn't really authentic and 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 safely assumed that any Inuit art piece purchased from a regional northern store or directly from an Inuit carver would be authentic. One would have to be more mindful in other places in Canada, especially in tourist areas where all sorts of other Canadian souvenirs such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, essential chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are sold.

The most safe places to shop for Inuit sculptures to make sure authenticity are always the trusted 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.

Trustworthy Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which adheres entirely to Inuit art. These galleries will generally be located in the downtown traveler locations of major cities. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be just Inuit art and maybe Native art but none of the other typical traveler keepsakes such as t-shirts or postcards . These galleries will have only genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not handle fakes or replicas . Just to be even safer, ensure that the piece you are interested in features a Canadian 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 but not all genuine pieces are signed. So be aware that an anonymous piece may still be certainly genuine.

Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you might shop and buy genuine Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now credible online galleries that likewise specialize in authentic Inuit art. Because of lower overheads, these online galleries are a great alternative for purchasing Inuit art since the prices are usually lower than those at street retail galleries. Naturally, like other shopping on the internet, one need to be careful so when handling an online gallery, make certain that their pieces likewise feature the main Igloo tags to make sure credibility.

Some traveler stores do carry authentic Inuit art as well as the other touristy souvenirs in order to cater to all kinds of travelers. When shopping at click for info these types of stores, it is possible to tell apart the genuine pieces from the recreations. Authentic Inuit sculpture is carved from stone and for that reason needs to 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 reproduction will sometimes 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 art work and nothing else on the shop shelves will look exactly like it. The piece is not genuine if there are duplicates of a certain piece with exact information. It is probably not genuine if a piece looks too ideal in information with absolute straight bottoms or sides. Of course, if a piece includes a sticker showing that is was made in an Asian country, then it is obviously a phony. There will also be a big rate difference between genuine pieces and the replicas.

This can be a real gray area to those unfamiliar with authentic Inuit art. If a seller declares that such as piece is genuine, ask to see the main Igloo tag that comes with it which will have details on the artist, area where it was made and the year it was carved. The authentic pieces with the accompanying official Igloo tags will always be the highest priced and are typically kept in a different ( maybe even locked) rack within the shop.


Since Inuit art has been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian great art type at galleries and museums 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 wonderful art work, then it can be securely assumed that any Inuit art piece acquired from a local northern shop or straight from an Inuit carver would be authentic. Credible Inuit art galleries are likewise noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine 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 genuine pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries also have sites so you could shop and purchase authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.

Leave a Reply

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