This investigation should also include uncovering its provenance, exhibition history and ownership history. As human beings require a passport to move from country to country, so do works of art, and the gallery should be able to provide you with the necessary certificates of authenticity. There are a number of areas to be mindful of, though, including the extent to which the individuals who authenticate or attribute the art to a particular artist are qualified to do so. Unless their authority is backed by some professional association with the artist, such as publishing papers in respected journals, curating museum or major gallery shows or having an extensive experience of trading in them, then their opinion is not worth a great deal. Alternatively they could be relatives, employees or descendants of the artist or have some form of legal or estate-granted entitlement to pass judgment on the work of art. And if the artist is alive, don’t hesitate to ask the gallery to get in touch with them in person to confirm that the art is authentic.
A further issue to consider is whether the art is original or reproduced by mechanical means, because one of the principle ways art dealers make money is by trading in limited edition prints, where the artists only input in the creative process has been signing a digital or photographic copy of the original. A thorough investigation of the piece, combined with asking questions about it, should uncover this, with the added benefit of revealing how much the seller knows about what they are selling. When you are happy with the asking price and ready to buy, ensure you get a detailed receipt describing the art and its condition and including a money back guarantee to protect you if, at any point in the future, you find out that the art was not properly represented. This receipt should be in addition to the other documentation that the seller provides relating to the art's history, provenance and authenticity.
But before getting to this point, there’s the issue of which places you should look to source the art. The first piece of advice here is to have a clear idea of the type of art work you want and set a fixed price above which you will not go. Having done that, it makes sense to throw your net as wide as possible and explore all avenues, with particular focus on the following three options:
- Auction Houses. This can include anything from the local auction house in your area to the big auction houses in London. Naturally, the more prestigious the auctioneer is, the greater confidence you can have in the authenticity of the piece of art, and the higher the price can go. Bear in mind also that auction houses use presale estimates, reserves, and opening bid amounts which should give you a rough idea of the amount the piece might go for, though when it comes to auction time, pretty much anything goes, so you should have your wits about you as you bid against experts in the field.
- Art Galleries. As has been previously mentioned, walking into an art gallery can be a daunting experience. But just remember one thing: all the gallery’s show of respectability and wealth, from the good address to the soft furnishings and discreet light fittings, has been built from selling fine art to its customers. In other words, when you buy a painting from a gallery, you’re paying not only for the painting but the well appointed environment which gave you the confidence to buy it in the first place. Also, as much as a good gallery may have the necessary expertise to tell you all about the painting you are proposing to buy, they also know how to spot an amateur collector and persuade them to buy a piece they are not a hundred percent sure about.
- Internet. While sites like eBay carry obvious risks about the provenance and condition of the piece of fine art you are thinking of buying, established, authenticated sellers have several obvious advantages to more conventional ways of buying art. Above all, of course, because there is no actual gallery space, you are not subsidising their rent when you buy from them. And once you have found a piece of art that catches your eye you can do all the necessary research about it in your own time without anybody standing over you attempting to influence your decision, in addition to getting a second opinion about it from anyone with access to a computer and the internet.
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