Who is consulted on authenticity
For modern and contemporary art, the verification of an attribution is addressed to the artist's archive or foundation. These are private entities, often set up by the heirs together with a scientific committee, whose task is to protect the artist's output and maintain the catalogue of the artist's work. For Old Masters, the point of reference is the art historians who have published specialist studies.
Inclusion in the archive and the opinion on authenticity
"Archiving" consists in the inclusion of the work in the artist's archive and/or catalogue raisonné, accompanied by the issue of a certificate. For the market, this document constitutes the opinion on authenticity. Since several foundations/archives (particularly international ones) have ceased issuing opinions in order to avoid litigation, documented provenance and historical bibliography have taken on a central importance.
The catalogue raisonné
The catalogue raisonné is the scholarly publication (in print or digital form) that records the recognised works of an artist with technical entries, provenance, bibliography and exhibition history. It represents an opinion on the attribution of a body of work to an artist and, ideally, should serve as a tool for the study and protection of the work itself. Nevertheless, the inclusion of a work in a catalogue raisonné carries weight on the market since, by presuming its authenticity, it can influence its commercial value. It should be remembered that catalogues raisonnés are not free from error and should not be relied upon uncritically. Most catalogues raisonnés are in fact subject over time to updates, corrections and new additions.
A distinction must also be drawn between catalogues raisonnés recognised by the scholarly community and those whose authority has been called into question. There are also cases in which an artist is the subject of more than one catalogue raisonné, at times showing significant differences of opinion among the experts.
The nature of the documents and their market value
Inclusion in an archive, opinions and catalogue entries are reasoned expert opinions, not legal or immutable certifications. The weight of an archive lies solely in the scholarly reputation of its committee; opinions may therefore be revised over time in the light of new discoveries.
The role of appraisers and advisors
The opinions of the archives remain decisive in establishing the marketability and the economic value of a work. The appraiser does not take the place of the archive, but checks that the certification is present and notes its absence, where relevant, in the appraisal. The art advisor, for their part, handles and coordinates the process of requesting inclusion in the archive on the client's behalf.