The majority of the art for sale comes with
various types of certification, documentation, authenticity, provenance,
attribution, and other assertions that the work is by this artist, etc. You can
find art for sale practically anywhere. But what's this? If they are not
stated, written, or otherwise traceable to or directly associated with
accepted, recognized, and qualified authorities about the art in question, as
well as the artist themselves, then none of these papers, claims, certificates
of authenticity, documents, or even tall tales mean anything.
Here are some fundamentals about art
attribution and authentication, including how they work and who can be trusted.
They’re All Connected-Not!
Selling art faces one of the most common
issues when it comes to "attributed" art. Every kind of unqualified
person will frequently assign works of art to various artists, but sadly, all
of these attributions are regarded as being completely useless.
Why is that? for the simple reason that in
the art world, only established authorities with legal standing to use the
names of the attributed artists may make legitimate attributions.
Defining "Attributed"
In a formal and technical sense,
"attributed" denotes the presence of a specific work of art, most
likely an original, that has been verified by an expert in the field. Remember
that the phrase "qualified authority" is your keyword here. As a
result, if the attribution is made by an unqualified person, it would have no
significance.
Who Are The Qualified Authority?
A qualified authority is someone who can
back up their claims with evidence and is an expert in the field. The people
who have carefully examined the artist under examination, written papers about
the artist, and organized significant exhibitions of the artist's work in
galleries or museums are considered qualified experts.
They may also have authored magazine
articles, books, or catalog essays about the artist, taught courses about the
artist, purchased or sold at least a few dozen or even hundreds of the artist's
works, or done anything similar.
Along with his or her close family members,
coworkers, direct descendants, and heirs, the artist himself or herself might
also be a competent authority. Additionally, qualified authorities are those
who have formal, legal, or estate-granted penalties or rights that allow them
to judge an artist's work. Most importantly, they should be acknowledged by the
persons in charge of handling works by that artist throughout the entire
community of artists.
Who Are Not Qualified?
It can take a very long time to compile the
list of those who are not qualified. However, the unqualified individuals who
most often claim to be qualified have some of the following typical traits:
First off, be wary of people who claim that the artwork they are selling is by
a particular artist simply because it "looks like" it was created by
that artist. You should also be wary of people who claim that the artwork is by
a particular artist because they have seen similar illustrations in art books.
Additionally, you shouldn't trust sellers
who respond to your questions by saying, "That is what the prior owner
told me." Really, you can't rely on snooping to determine whether the work
is unique or not. The same applies if they claim that the artwork was created
by a certain artist, since the former owner was wealthy and well-known.
Watch out for art appraisers as well,
because, unless they are qualified to do so, they simply appraise rather than
authenticate works of art. You should be aware that assessment and authenticity
are two distinct concepts.
Therefore, you must ensure that the person
you're talking to is a qualified authority or, better yet, the artist himself
if you're trying to purchase a so-called original.
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