When dealing with art,
never throw caution to the winds
The questions you always need to ask. Are you sure the work of art you are being offered is actually what it appears? Is it authentic? Does it come with the required certificates, issued by experts or by the Archive representing the appropriate authority? Does the certificate contain any ambiguity? Is the dating reliable? Is the work of prime quality? Does it reveal the artist’s cultural and poetic motivations with intensity? Within his or her body of work, does it represent a stylistic phase that is acknowledged as important by the critics? Does it fit in harmoniously with your collection? Did you know that the curriculum of a work of art appreciably affects its value? What is its provenance? Has it ever been exhibited or published in a book? What condition is it in? In the past has it suffered any damage or reckless restoration work? Is it at risk, in the sense that its condition could rapidly deteriorate? Did you know that, more than any others, it is modern and contemporary works of art that present the most serious conservation problems, due to the heterogeneous materials and techniques used to create them?
The answers we are able to give you. If you are buying a valuable work of art and you have no answer to just a few of these questions, you would do well to approach someone who can answer them. Reliably and expertly. To do this we are able to subject the artwork to an in-depth condition report, which is a critical philological study, plus, if necessary, a series of scientific analyses intended to verify its authenticity and condition.
No roulette. The artists to focus on are not numbers: in the experts’ eyes, they have clear value, on the basis of precise critical considerations. So why not allow yourself to be advised?
Having curated exhibitions, created events, written monographs on artists and movements and directed museums, we know how to interpret the changes that bring about the success of an artist and therefore their growth in value. That's why we know who the artists to focus on are before others do.
