Art alert

You have a budget; you want to spend it on art, but how do you safeguard your interests? Here’s a checklist:

▶SOURCE: Buyers can find works through recommendations, online, or from artists who know them. Even though a lot of business has shifted online, are you expert enough to tell a printed digital image on canvas from an original painting? Your best recourse is auction houses (which do all the necessary due diligence), reputed art galleries (though they may be more expensive), or art fairs. Most renowned artists do not sell directly. Be suspicious of dealers who offer you, well, “deals”.

▶PROVENANCE: Any secondary purchase will have had a previous owner, or owners. You can request their names, and the seller must be able to give it to you in written — unless the original seller does not want the identity revealed. This is especially important in the case of inherited artworks where joint custodianship might prove a problem. Where possible, get a document stating no one has rights or ownership over the work, and there is no lien on it.

▶ CONDITION REPORT: You can request a report that tells you of any damage, discolouration, restoration or cleaning of a work of art undertaken previously.

> AUTHENTICITY CERTIFICATE: Artists and galleries now issue these as a document of faith, and these in turn will serve as your provenance in times to come.

▶INVOICE: Like the Authenticity Certificate, the invoice should carry an illustration of the purchased work.

▶RELATED MATERIAL: This could include invitation cards to exhibitions where the work was exhibited, photographs of the display, any catalogues or books where it might have been reproduced, and any reviews where the work might have been quoted or illustrated.