Tips on How to Purchase and Look For Genuine Canadian Inuit Art (Eskimo Art) Sculptures

Numerous visitors to Canada will be exposed to Inuit art (Eskimo art) sculptures while visiting the nation. Considering that Inuit art has actually been getting more and more international direct exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian great art form at museums and galleries situated outside Canada too. Assuming that the intention is to obtain an genuine piece of Inuit art rather than a inexpensive traveler replica, the question develops on how does one inform apart the genuine thing from the phonies?

It would be quite frustrating to bring home a piece just to discover later 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 fantastic art work, 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. One would have to be more cautious somewhere else in Canada, especially in tourist locations where all sorts of other Canadian keepsakes such as tee shirts, hockey jerseys, postcards, essential chains, maple syrup, and other Native Canadian arts are offered.

The best locations to buy Inuit sculptures to guarantee 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 tour guide discovered in hotels.

Respectable Inuit art galleries are also noted in Inuit Art Quarterly magazine which adheres entirely to Inuit art. These galleries will normally be found in the downtown tourist locations of significant cities. When one walks into these galleries, one will see that there will be only Inuit art and maybe Native art however none of the other typical tourist keepsakes such as postcards or tee shirts . These galleries will have only genuine Inuit art for sale as they do not handle imitations or phonies . Simply to be even more secure, ensure that the piece you have an interest in includes a Canadian federal government Igloo tag accrediting that it was handcrafted 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. So understand that an unsigned piece might still be indeed authentic.

Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have websites so you might shop and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from house throughout the world. In addition to these street retail specialized galleries, there are now trustworthy online galleries that likewise focus on authentic Inuit art. Because of lower overheads, these online galleries are a Kurt Criter Denver excellent alternative for buying Inuit art because the costs are typically lower than those at street retail galleries. Obviously, like any other shopping on the internet, one should beware so when dealing with an online gallery, make certain that their pieces also come with the official Igloo tags to make sure authenticity.

Some tourist stores do bring genuine Inuit art as well as the other touristy souvenirs in order to cater to all types of tourists. Authentic Inuit sculpture is sculpted from stone and therefore should have some weight or mass to it. 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.

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


Because Inuit art has actually been getting more and more worldwide direct exposure, individuals might be seeing this Canadian fine art form at galleries and museums located outside Canada too. 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 safely assumed that any Inuit art piece bought from a regional northern store or straight from an Inuit carver would be genuine. Trustworthy Inuit art galleries are likewise listed in Inuit Art Quarterly publication which is dedicated completely to Inuit art. The Inuit sculpture may be signed by the carver either in Kurt Criter English or Inuit syllabics but not all genuine pieces are signed. Some of these Inuit art galleries likewise have sites so you might go shopping and buy authentic Inuit art sculpture from home anywhere in the world.