Whether purchasing a painting from a gallery in Paris, Palm Beach, or the West End of London, a fine art fair such as TEFAF or LAPADA, or even a part-time picture seller on ebay many people believe the presence of a printed and signed Certificate of Authenticity to be of great importance, and they are entirely wrong.
Unless it is signed by the artist themselves, their official agent or internationally acknowledged expert on the artist a “certificate of authenticity” is meaningless. I would estimate that around 90% of all CoA’s in circulation are worthless, and with respect to authenticity carry about as much weight as a note from the seller’s mum.
Here’s the truth; a formal Certificate of Authenticity is not necessarily required to prove a work of art is genuine. In the vast majority of cases all any buyer needs is a valid receipt, detailed bill of sale or proof of purchase from a professional dealer (or directly from the artist or their official agent), any one of these being infinitely more evidential than a ‘certificate’ issued by someone whose signature carries no legal authority.
Many dealers proudly advertise the fact that every one of their paintings is sold with a certificate of authenticity but unless they themselves are an internationally acknowledged expert on the artist(s) in question (in other words have published extensive research into and analysis of their style and techniques or curated exhibitions of their known works or are related to the artist(s) or formally represent their estates or have authored the catalogue raisonné) then what that dealer is proudly offering is nothing more than a piece of paper.
The Certificate of Authenticity has probably become so (erroneously) important in buyer’s minds because many of us grow up with an innate respect for official-looking signed documents, but there are no legal parameters as to who can sign and issue a Certificate of Authenticity. Literally anyone can write one, whether they’re qualified to or not. And these things have been issued for years so just because a certificate wasn’t issued yesterday doesn’t mean the work of art it purports to authenticate is genuine. When buying an old oil painting the maxim is the same as when buying any antique; the fact that something has age doesn’t always mean it’s ‘right’ or even any good.
That does not mean that every certificate of authenticity should be sneered at. In New York, for example, art dealers and galleries are obligated to certify the works they sell to be authentic but that invariably means providing certification based upon a consensus of experts in the specific field rather than simply printing off a piece of glossy paper signed by any member of staff.
The most reliable methods of authenticating a painting are cast iron provenance and professional technical assessment. The provenance – or the documented ownership history – of a work typically includes auction, exhibition, or gallery labels, comparison with other similar works by the artist, testimony of past owners and agents, a CoA signed by a recognised expert, and any original sales receipts.
Where provenance is lacking, anyone looking to authenticate the attribution or age of a painting must look to science for assistance. A professional conservation report and/or technological assessment will help determine authenticity through detailed scientific analysis, for instance, the use of infrared and ultraviolet light in spectroscopy, reflectography and chromatography. Just as physicians use radiography to diagnose diseases in the human body art scientists use x-rays, gamma rays, beta particles, and light waves to examine the original paint layers of an oil painting to determine whether the pigments are contemporaneous and consistent with those used by the artist in question. This method of course requires the owner to have both considerable patience and plenty of spare cash.
Alternatively, should you have doubts about the authenticity of any work of art you are thinking of buying, I would suggest simply talking to the person selling it. Whether that’s a dealer, a private collector or a specialist at an auction house don’t be afraid to ask them about the artist: about their technique, their body of work, the genre or school to which they belonged. And ask about the painting itself: what is the subject, when was it painted, and what is its condition? If you are buying from a dealer I would always want to know which conservator (restorer) worked on the painting. If the dealer/seller/auctioneer can convincingly answer these questions and talks easily and knowledgeably about the artist and the painting itself then you can at least be sure it is being sold by someone with genuine expertise. In the end, the simplest and most cost-effective way of giving yourself the best chance of buying an authentic painting of genuine quality in good condition is to satisfy yourself that the person selling it understands what one looks like.
© Academy Fine Paintings Ltd 2023