Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Scholars Scared to Authenticate or Catalogue

December 9, 2011 by Marion Maneker

Georgina Adam and Riah Pryor add to the growing chorus of concern about the threat of legal action chilling art authentication in The Art Newspaper:

On the advice of lawyers, Martin Harrison, who has published widely on 19th- and 20th-century art and is the editor of the Bacon catalogue raisonné, will only go as far as saying that these drawings, which some suspect are fakes, are “unlike any authenticated works”. An open seminar on these drawings is due to be held at the Courtauld Institute on 25 January.

A similar problem arose concerning a group of newly discovered “Degas” plasters last year. Opinion is divided over their authenticity, but a number of those expressing doubt, including the Degas scholars Richard Kendall of the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Massachusetts and Patricia Failing of the University of Washington, decided not to discuss the matter publicly.

“Many experts are reluctant to give their opinion in public because of the threat of legal action, which is in fact quite remote,” says Karen Sanig, the head of art law at Mishcon de Reya, London. “This perception is having a freezing effect on scholarship. It has [become] increasingly obvious as a problem over the past six months, partly due to the coverage of authentication issues in the press.” With the prices of 20th-century art rising so strongly over the past decade, it is little surprise that these disputes have become so heated.

The Law v. Scholarship (The Art Newspaper)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • TEFAF 2015 Report: Volume ⬇️ 2%, Value ⬇️ 7%TEFAF 2015 Report: Volume ⬇️ 2%, Value ⬇️ 7%
  • Brits Go After Minor Art FraudBrits Go After Minor Art Fraud
  • Bringing Rules to the Chinese Art MarketBringing Rules to the Chinese Art Market
  • Cleveland Museum’s David Franklin ResignsCleveland Museum’s David Franklin Resigns
  • Seydoux's Clues on DuchampSeydoux's Clues on Duchamp
  • In Asia, Art Advisors Have the Upper Hand with the CollectorIn Asia, Art Advisors Have the Upper Hand with the Collector

Filed Under: General

About Marion Maneker

LiveArt

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor