Art Authenticity : Essay 1

Authenticating Art has been an area of neglect for a very long time in India. Only in the last 3 - 4 years, as the market has rapidly expanded and the monetary value of artworks have gone up, have galleries and artists been authenticating the artwork they sell.

I, as a gallery owner have tried to understand what goes into authenticating artwork. This essay will try to provide logical solutions and methods into the process of authentication. It will also throw light on current practices. Please feel free to leave your comments. Hopefully we will be able to come up with some constructive solutions in a field that has no governing bodies.

Regulating the Art Industry:
This is the first area I would like to talk about. There is no single organization, governmental or private, that monitors the happenings of the art world in India. Until 2000 there were only individual galleries with localized growth plans that were promoting artists at very nominal price and realistic growth agendas. Today, each city in India has no fewer than 5 galleries selling various forms of Fine Art. The larger metros have in excess of 25 galleries each. There are now about 50 dedicated online art galleries with only an online presence that sell Indian fine art. There are the market minded investors who buy and sell at their own time and pace. Now most of the senior galleries in the country are opening galleries in the primary art markets of New York and London. Therefore, it is safe to say that there has been a 300 - 400% growth in the Indian Art Market in the last 3 - 4 years.

What does this mean for the theory of 'Supply and Demand' in the Indian Art Market? Well its very simple. The art world has literally become a 'market'. As the Indian economy is growing, it is increasingly able to support this rapid uncontrolled art buying spree. More and more people with the money and means are applying all conventional business tactics to the art market to make a lot of money as well as collect for the future in terms of serious investments. This is a trend that I do not advocate nor disapprove. It seems to be a needed environment that will help propel Indian Art to greater heights. This however, is literally putting pressure on artists to produce. It is now the time where an artist is made from human to super star. This is the time where an artist has to be at his PR best (not necessarily his creative best). The people who make the final impact are the ones with best PR and marketing skills; the galleries who can tap into the wealthiest of this country. Art Market manipulation is bound to rule. The Supply and Demand is now artificial. There is a fast increasing gap between the establishment promoted artists and the struggling upcoming artists.

So in a time when anyone with the contacts can buy and sell art, it makes one wonder if art too should now come under some brokerage laws. Internationally, Realtors have to take an examination to obtain a license to sell properties. Used car sales men need to have a sales license. Even in India there are huge laws that control the stock markets and every broker who actively trades. So why should art not be under the scanner. After all it is better for the artwork in the long run. There will be no disputed of authenticity if the work was purchased from a licensed and regulated gallery.

Before we proceed further it is important to explain what art authentication is.

To put it at the simplest term, it is nothing more than providing a certificate of provenance and origin signed directly by the artist or authorized person for a said piece of art. This document should hold up under any scrutiny by anyone at any point of time.

More Text will be added on June 20th 2008.