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Artwork Verification Reports

Why Enhanced Due Diligence Reports Are Imperative

As the value of European Impressionist and Modern Artworks has increased, the quality of provenance records that are published in Catalogue Raisonnés has largely remained the same, despite advances in technology that have significantly changed how data can be collected, assessed and cited.

The lack of quality standards, non-existent methodologies and politics used to report, influence and verify what an object is and where it has travelled during its life time has created a high degree of unnecessary fragility in the market. Collectors risk related to fraud exposure, their right to own, authentication politics and threat of financial loss has increased significantly. Collectors have been forced to accept documents that accompany artworks as 'trustworthy' despite (in the majority of cases) the primary motivation of the document offerer being significant monetary gain.

Over decades Art Experts have offered a non-transparent, unsubstantiated opinions that have created a fundamental Authentication Crisis within the industry sector of European Impressionist & Modern Art.

The documents offered are (in the majority of cases), 'patchy', lacking copies of original source documents and any form of contextualisation that is acutely evidence led. In short; these documents cannot stand up to scrutiny, they are stand alone narrative based statements with 'untested' content, presented as 'acceptable' facts.

Collectors therefore need access to verification reports that adhere to a standard of quality, that contain not just supporting documentation but also contextualised commentary that builds confidence in relation to key areas:

  • The Authenticity of the Artwork itself
  • Ownership History
  • Restitution Risk
  • The Accuracy of Historical Published References
  • Verification of Source Materials

What is the Difference in Format & Content that Our Reports offer?

Industry 'Standard' Provenance Report Format

Our Verification Report Format

Artwork Details, title, dimensions, signature, images

Artwork Details, title, dimensions, signature, images

Ownership History, example:

Artist to

Dealer 1 (named, no date of acquisition, no stock no information)

Private Collector 1 (named, no date of acquisition, no deaccession date)

Dealer 2 (named, no stock number, no sales or acquisition dates)

Auction House Public Sale 1980 (date, lot details provided, buyer not named)

Private Collector 3 (unnamed, acquired from the above sale, no deaccession date)

Private Collector 4 (unnamed, no acquisition dates)

Ownership History, example:

Artist to (date of deaccession**)

Dealer 1 (named, date of acquisition, stock no information**)

Private Collector 1 (named, acquisition date, deaccession date**)

Dealer 2 (named, date of acquisition, stock no information**)

Auction House Public Sale 1980 (date, lot details provided, buyer named**)

Private Collector 3 (named, acquired from the above sale, deaccession date**)

Private Collector 4 (named, acquisition dates confirmed**)

Additional Content

Additional Content

Exhibition History*

All Published Titles & Details Recorded on Artwork**

Literature History*

Public Sales History **

Can also contain expert statement(s) / comments on Catalogue Raisonné forthcoming inclusion.

Exhibition History **

Literature History **

Archives Researched **

Contextual Commentary **

Condition Reports (Historical, if available) **

Conclusions: Evidence based conclusive statement. Contextual observations of source materials. Risk areas related to restitution and authentication concerns highlighted.

Further Recommendations

*Collectors receiving this information are not always clear if all references have been checked or just copied from other references.

** Supporting documents cited and copies provided.
Verification Report Documentation

Why are these multiple format elements so important to have?

Our reports are purely evidence led and contain data captured in a specific way from multiple 'primary source' documents. This enables information to be not just 'tested' but also contextualised which delivers the strongest method of documentary assessment. The correlation of multiple data sources divulges critical information, that when taken as a whole presents enhanced clarity within each element of the Report. The correlation of data develops comprehension, revealing:

Acute data patterns that highlight:

Acute contextualisation of Ownership, Authentication Commentary, Public Sales, Exhibition & Literature History:

Changes and errors in 'expert opinion' in publications over time.

Errors in physical descriptions of the Artwork

Time frame of 'authentication' process / acceptance into a Catalogue Raisonné.

Errors in previously published 'known' (or assumed) history.

Anomalies in archival material sources.

Physical Changes in the Artwork over time.

Archival references are obtained from multiple primary evidence sources:

  • Collector records
  • Dealer records
  • Museum and Arts Club records
  • Exhibition records
  • Scholar Records
  • Published material
  • The Artwork Itself

 

Our reports are used in the following ways to achieve:

Proof of an Artwork's ownership history.

Proof of how an artwork has 'travelled' over its lifetime.

Authentication support

Further contextualised support for Scientific Analysis*

Verification & Contextualisation of archive documents.

Restitution Risk Analysis

Verification for Valuation and Specialist Insurance

Optimum Collection Management

* By combining both evidence based data rich documentary provenance reporting with robust and contextualised scientific analysis, collectors can finally obtain a 360 degree due diligence on Artworks via factual observation rather than having to rely on potentially biased 'expert opinion.'

Who can benefit from our reports?

Risk-averse Private & Institutional Collectors and their Advisors, Art Curators & Collection Managers, Artist Estates & Catalogue Raisonné Producers, Art Crime & Restitution Agencies, Government & Cultural Bodies, Art Lawyers, Art Insurers and Art Finance Practitioners.

Tailored, case specific reports to meet specific objectives are possible, contact us to find out more.

Additional services that can be incorporated into reports include:

  • Contextualised Robust Forensic Scientific Analysis
  • Condition Reporting
  • Valuations
  • Genealogical Tracking
  • Private Investigation Services
  • AML Due Diligence
Verification Report Documentation

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Art Verification, Art Authentication, Art Investigation, Art Collector, Art Verification, Authentication, Art Expert, Catalogue Raisonné, Art Research, Wildenstein Platter Institute, Collectors, Fine Art, Condition report, Provenance Recovery, Art Advisory, paintings, sculpture, Impressionism, Fauvism, German Expressionism, Art Valuation, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Modigliani, Kandinsky, art fraud, art insurance, art forensics, painting, pigment analysis, Art Scientific Analysis, UK, Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany, USA, Europe.