Anyone searching online for "where to have a painting valued" finds countless options, often offered free of charge. The real difference, however, lies not in the absence of an initial cost but in the professional one relies on and in the validity of the document issued at the end of the process.

Who values, and with what interest

  • Auction houses: offer free valuations that indicate what the work might achieve in one of their auctions. This valuation is useful for getting one's bearings ahead of a possible sale, but it is formulated by a party with a direct interest in obtaining the consignment. Consequently, it is not a document that can be used for insurance or legal purposes (for example before a notary or a judge), nor for purposes other than the sale itself.
  • The dealer or art gallery: where the work might enter into one of their negotiations, offers an opinion or a financial offer tied to that specific scenario. Although the opinion may be authoritative and competent, the figure proposed inevitably reflects their commercial position.
  • Online platforms and valuation software: simply cross-reference the data supplied by the user with auction results for similar works. They return a purely statistical range without having seen the work in person, without having verified its condition, authenticity or provenance, and with no professional taking responsibility for it.
  • The artist's archive or foundation: for modern and contemporary art, these institutions do not express opinions on economic value. Their role concerns the authenticity of the work and its inclusion in the catalogue raisonné. It is a fundamental opinion, which has a profound effect on commercial value without determining it in figures, bearing in mind that not all archives issue one.
  • The independent art appraiser: carries out a direct examination of the work, identifies it, thoroughly verifies its documents and condition, and selects and justifies the comparables. The appraiser explicitly states the purpose of the appraisal and the type of value determined, signing a document for which they take full responsibility.

How to choose the right professional

The choice of whom to consult depends strictly on the purpose of the request.

Anyone who simply wants to get an idea, with no pressing decisions in view, can comfortably rely on a free valuation from an auction house and a comparison with public sale results. By contrast, anyone who has to take significant decisions (such as insuring a collection, dividing an estate, selling an important work, offering it as collateral or responding formally to an heir or a spouse) needs a reasoned and defensible value. Only an independent appraiser, free from any direct interest in the work, can offer this degree of reliability. When in doubt, a professional who acts correctly says in advance if the work does not justify the cost of a full appraisal: in that case, they provide an initial indication and the process ends there.

My studio is based in Como; I take on assignments in Milan, in the Canton of Ticino and internationally. The first step in my method is always a preliminary conversation about the work and the purpose of the valuation, before any formal engagement.