What is a Certificate of Authenticity and Why Does it Matter?
A Certificate of Authenticity is a signed and witnessed document confirming the authenticity of the work and containing details about a work of art for the collector's reference.
Certificates of Authenticity (COA's) are mostly common in the art world. Generally speaking, a valid COA for an artwork will include specific details about the artwork like when and how it was produced, the names of people or companies involved in the artwork's production, the work's exact title, the dimensions of the art, and the names of reference books, magazines, or similar resources that contain either specific or related information about either that work of art or the artist. COAs have been a target of much controversy due to online auction sites where sellers are providing fake Certificates of Authenticity to market or sell works of art.
Certificates of Authenticity (COA's) are mostly common in the art world. Generally speaking, a valid COA for an artwork will include specific details about the artwork like when and how it was produced, the names of people or companies involved in the artwork's production, the work's exact title, the dimensions of the art, and the names of reference books, magazines, or similar resources that contain either specific or related information about either that work of art or the artist. COAs have been a target of much controversy due to online auction sites where sellers are providing fake Certificates of Authenticity to market or sell works of art.
"Anything that is worth something is going to be worth being faked."
-- Nicolas Chow, Sotheby's
Nicolas Chow is a Sotheby's Chinese works of art expert. For his insights and other experts, check out this link to Sotheby's Episode 1: Authenticity, from Sotheby's The Value of Art Series.
Art buyers want to know they’re buying the genuine article; everyone benefits from weeding out fakes. In a very high profile federal case "Knoedler, a gallery was found to have knowingly sold some $60 million in fake Abstract Expressionist paintings in a massive scandal that shook the art world. It’s undisputed that Knoedler sold fakes, but the defendants deny wrongdoing; they say they too were duped. The case was settled but it rocked the art world. Before that, the Andy Warhol Foundation spent $7 million vindicating itself in one lawsuit before shuttering its authentication board.
Art buyers want to know they’re buying the genuine article; everyone benefits from weeding out fakes. In a very high profile federal case "Knoedler, a gallery was found to have knowingly sold some $60 million in fake Abstract Expressionist paintings in a massive scandal that shook the art world. It’s undisputed that Knoedler sold fakes, but the defendants deny wrongdoing; they say they too were duped. The case was settled but it rocked the art world. Before that, the Andy Warhol Foundation spent $7 million vindicating itself in one lawsuit before shuttering its authentication board.
Why We Do it |
Wealthy collectors with art advisors have a duty to investigate authenticity and research provenance.
When we represent a Lamar work for sale, the purchaser can be assured of the artwork's authenticity. Howard Lamar is both the artist and is a self-represented dealer. Continue reading |