Fine art authentication

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Fine art authentication is a process that ensures the integrity of artworks, preserves cultural heritage, and maintains trust in the art market. By combining traditional methods, scientific advancements, [1] [2] and emerging AI [3] and blockchain technologies, [4] art authentication can offer accurate attributions and protect the artistic legacy for future generations. [5] It consists of proving the authenticity of an artwork and its attribution to a specific artist. [6] This process involves determining the origin, authorship, and historical significance of a piece of art. The proliferation of art forgeries and the increased skill of the forgers who are aware of what scientific analysis reveals requires a rigorous approach to fine art authentication. [7] [8]

Contents

History

The requirement for art authentication has been a historical practice, evolving over centuries alongside the growing recognition of artists and the increasing value associated with their creations. During the Renaissance, [9] the authentication of artworks was primarily based on the artist's style, brushstrokes, and technical mastery. Nevertheless, distinguishing between the original and the copy often proved challenging. [10] As art markets expanded globally and new artistic movements emerged, the authentication process became more intricate. [11]

Documentation examination involves scrutinizing the authenticity and accuracy of supporting paperwork, including certificates of authenticity, exhibition, and gallery records, as well as correspondence.

Art authentication is a complex and multifaceted process, often accompanied by challenges and controversies. Some of the key issues include:[11] [12]

Thierry Lenain [13] asserts that a forger's goal is to mislead the public into believing that the generated work of art is something else entirely. [14]

Throughout the 20th century, scientific methodologies were integrated into art authentication, resulting in significant advancements. Experts were able to examine artwork beyond their surface layers with the use of techniques such as radiography, infrared imaging, and ultraviolet analysis. [15] [16] In the 21st century, the field of art authentication has progressed significantly due to digital imaging, computer-based analysis and artificial Intelligence (AI) integration. These technological advancements have enabled new possibilities for obtaining insights into the pigments, materials and features of artwork. Computer analysis, powered by AI algorithms and data-driven assessments, compares works of art to extensive databases, facilitating pattern-based learning. [16]

Methods of authentication

Radiocarbon dating, also known as carbon-14 dating, is a scientific method that can accurately determine the age of organic materials up to about 60,000 years old. This technique, first developed by Willard Libby in Chicago in the late 1940s, is based on the decay of the carbon-14 isotope. Radiocarbon dating led to the “radiocarbon revolution” in archaeology and it has been useful also in the domain of art history. [17]

Documentation examination involves scrutinizing the authenticity and accuracy of supporting paperwork, including certificates of authenticity, exhibition, and gallery records, as well as correspondence. Art authentication also relies on the expertise and opinions of specialists, scholars, curators, and artists familiar with a particular artist or artistic style. Their insights, along with supporting documents, scholarly publications, and catalog raisonnés, contribute to the overall evaluation of an artwork’s authenticity. [18]

Digital technologies have enabled the analysis of intricated details such as brushstrokes, color palettes, and stylistic elements unique to individual artists. AI systems can identify patterns in vast amounts of data. This capability enables experts to detect potential forgeries and differentiate genuine artworks from imitations. AI algorithms can process and interpret diverse data sets, facilitating a data-driven approach. [3] [19]

Challenges in authenticating art

Art authentication is a complex and multifaceted process, often accompanied by challenges and controversies. Some of the key issues include: [12]

Subjectivity and interpretation: Art authentication is inherently subjective, relying on the individual expertise of scholars and specialists and varied interpretations.

A prominent example highlighting this issue is the debate surrounding the Salvator Mundi, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. This painting has become a focal point for discussions on attribution, with some experts contesting its provenance and others defending it. Such examples accentuate the varying perspectives and the sometimes polarizing nature of art attribution. [20]

Forgery: The art world has witnessed numerous cases of skilled forgers who replicate famous artworks with precision. Moreover, forgers now can employ generative AI to produce imitations that mimic the style of a particular artist. However, a study has shown that AI technology can detect digital forgeries produced by a generative AI, if AI-generated imitations are fed into the training. [21]

Lack of standardization: There is not a universally accepted standard or governing body for art authentication. The art world, of course, is an unaffiliated consortium of art historians, curators, merchants of varying stripes. [22] This lack of standardization can result in disparities in authentication practices and varying levels of confidence in attributions. [23]

Legal and ethical considerations: Authenticating an artwork can have legal and financial implications. Authentication can influence an artwork's value, ownership disputes, and copyright issues. Balancing the interests of artists, collectors, scholars, and the art market while maintaining transparency and fairness is a complex ethical challenge. Lawsuits against the authenticator who dashed their hopes are common. [23]

Restoration: Restoration involves any attempts made to repair or conserve a painting by altering its original surface with later additions. When a painting undergoes restoration, it can pose challenges for its authentication. The restoration process may modify or obscure the original elements of the artwork, making it difficult to determine its authenticity accurately.

Training images in AI-based authentication methods: Training datasets are preeminent for the success of AI training as well as the AI assessment of an artwork’s authenticity. Acquiring a diverse and comprehensive collection of high-quality training images can be difficult. Insufficient or limited training data can result in the AI model lacking the necessary knowledge to make accurate authenticity assessments.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Authentication</span> Act of proving an assertion

Authentication is the act of proving an assertion, such as the identity of a computer system user. In contrast with identification, the act of indicating a person or thing's identity, authentication is the process of verifying that identity. It might involve validating personal identity documents, verifying the authenticity of a website with a digital certificate, determining the age of an artifact by carbon dating, or ensuring that a product or document is not counterfeit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forgery</span> Process of making, adapting, or imitating objects to deceive

Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally consists of the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud. Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbidden by law in some jurisdictions but such an offense is not related to forgery unless the tampered legal instrument was actually used in the course of the crime to defraud another person or entity. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Keating</span> English art restorer and forger (1917–1984)

Thomas Patrick Keating was an English artist, art restorer and art forger. Considered the most prolific and versatile art forger of the 20th century, he claimed to have faked more than 2,000 paintings by more than 160 different artists of unprecedented scope—ranging from the Renaissance to Modernism, Expressionism and Fauvism —with heavy emphasis on English landscape Romanticists and the French Impressionists. Total estimated profits from his forgeries amount in today's value to more than $10 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art forgery</span> Creation and trade of falsely credited art

Art forgery is the creation and sale of works of art which are intentionally falsely credited to other, usually more famous artists. Art forgery can be extremely lucrative, but modern dating and analysis techniques have made the identification of forged artwork much simpler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archaeological forgery</span> Manufacture of supposedly ancient items

Archaeological forgery is the manufacture of supposedly ancient items that are sold to the antiquities market and may even end up in the collections of museums. It is related to art forgery.

John Myatt,, is a British artist convicted of art forgery who, with John Drewe, perpetrated what has been described as "the biggest art fraud of the 20th century". After his conviction, Myatt was able to continue profiting from his forgery career through his creation of "genuine fakes".

Otto Wacker (1898–1970) was a German art dealer who became infamous for commissioning and selling forgeries of paintings by Vincent van Gogh. He had gained a good reputation in the 1920s after false starts in various other professions. Since the end of World War II, he lived in East Berlin. A study of his life and times has been written by Modris Eksteins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jef Van der Veken</span>

Josephus Maria Van der Veken was a Belgian art restorer, copyist, and art forger who mastered the art of reproducing the works of early Netherlandish painters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geert Jan Jansen</span> Dutch painter and art forger (born 1943)

Geert Jan Jansen is a Dutch painter and art forger, who was arrested in 1994.

<i>Catalogue raisonné</i> Comprehensive, annotated listing of all the known artworks by an artist

A catalogue raisonné is an annotated listing of the works of an artist or group of artists and can contain all works or a selection of works categorised by different parameters such as medium or period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Replica</span> Exact reproduction

A replica is an exact copy or remake of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Copies or reproductions of documents, books, manuscripts, maps or art prints are called facsimiles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Certificate of authenticity</span> Seal placed on objects (physical or digital) to show they are genuine

A certificate of authenticity (COA) is a seal or small sticker on a proprietary computer program, t-shirt, jersey, or any other memorabilia or art work, especially in the world of computers and sports. It is commonly a seal on paper authenticating a specific art work which and is made to demonstrate that the item is authentic.

Anthony Gene Tetro, known as Tony Tetro, is an art forger known for his perfectionism in copies of artwork produced in the 1970s and 1980s. Tetro never received formal art lessons, but learned from books, by painting and experimentation. Over three decades, Tetro forged works by Rembrandt, Joan Miró, Marc Chagall, Salvador Dalí and Norman Rockwell and others. Tetro's paintings and lithographs, known for their perfectionism, were sold by art dealers and auction houses as legitimate works and hang in museums, galleries around the world. He was caught after Hiro Yamagata found a forgery of his own work for sale in a gallery.

Karl Feoder Sim, also known as Carl Feoder Goldie was a New Zealand art forger, and the only person convicted of that crime in New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Authenticity in art</span>

Authenticity in art is manifested in the different ways that a work of art, or an artistic performance, can be considered authentic. The initial distinction is between nominal authenticity and expressive authenticity. In the first sense, nominal authenticity is the correct identification of the author of a work of art; of how closely an actor or an actress interprets a role in a stageplay as written by the playwright; of how well a musician's performance of an artistic composition corresponds to the composer's intention; and how closely an objet d’art conforms to the artistic traditions of its genre. In the second sense, expressive authenticity is how much the work of art possesses inherent authority of and about its subject, and how much of the artist's intent is in the work of art.

Wolfgang Beltracchi is a German former art forger and visual artist who has admitted to forging hundreds of paintings in an international art scam netting millions of euros. Beltracchi, together with his wife Helene, sold forgeries of alleged works by famous artists, including Max Ernst, Heinrich Campendonk, Fernand Léger, and Kees van Dongen. Though he was found guilty for forging 14 works of art that sold for a combined $45m (£28.6m), he claims to have faked "about 50" artists. The total estimated profits Beltracchi made from his forgeries surpasses $100m.

Technical art history is an interdisciplinary field of study at the cross-section of science and humanities in which an increasingly wide range of analytical tools is employed to shed light on the creative process from idea to artwork. Researchers from varying fields – among which art history, conservation, and conservation science – collaborate in an interdisciplinary manner to gain “a thorough understanding of the physical object in terms of original intention, choice of materials and techniques as well as the context in and for which the work was created, its meaning and contemporary perception.”

Peter Paul Biró (1954–2024) was a forensic art analyst, known for his work in authenticating paintings using fingerprint analysis. He was involved in several high-profile cases, including the authentication of works attributed to artists Jackson Pollock, Leonardo da Vinci, and Goodridge Roberts. Biro's techniques and conclusions were subjects of debate and scrutiny. In 2009, The New Yorker published an article that critically examined Biro's methods. Subsequently, Biro filed a defamation lawsuit against the magazine, the article's author, and others. The courts later dismissed the lawsuit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art Recognition</span> Technology company headquartered in Adliswil, Switzerland

Art Recognition is a technology company headquartered in Adliswil, within the Zurich metropolitan area, Switzerland. Specializing in the application of artificial intelligence (AI) for the purposes of art authentication and the detection of art forgeries, Art Recognition integrates advanced algorithms and computer vision technology. The company's operations extend globally, with the primary aim as a joint-stock-company to increase profit for its shareholders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Henty</span> Former master forger

David Henty is a former master forger. His works are renowned for the accuracy and authenticity with which he paints perfect copies of original works by master painters. Henty copies works by Caravaggio, Pablo Picasso, Amadeo Modigliani, Vincent Van Gogh, Jean-Michel Basquiat and others. Many of Henty's forgeries have been sold by art dealers and auction houses as original works and are unknowingly included in many collections around the world. Having painted more copies of LS Lowry's work than Lowry himself, Henty now operates on the right side of the law. His paintings regularly sell for thousands of pounds.

References

  1. ↑ Pattern recognition applied in fine art authentication (in Portuguese). MAXWELL. 2002.
  2. ↑ What is Carbon Dating? University of Chicago News, 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-08-15
  3. 1 2 Schaerf, Ludovica; Popovici, Carina; Postma, Eric (2023). "Art Authentication in Vision Transformers". Neural Computing and Applications. 36 (20): 11849–11858. arXiv: 2307.03039 . doi: 10.1007/s00521-023-08864-8 .
  4. ↑ Whitaker, Amy (2019-10-18). "Art and Blockchain: A Primer, History, and Taxonomy of Blockchain Use Cases in the Arts". Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts. 8 (2): 21–46. doi: 10.1353/artv.2019.0008 . ISSN   2164-7747.
  5. ↑ "How artificial intelligence affects the art insurance industry - Insurance Post". www.postonline.co.uk. 2023-04-05. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  6. ↑ "Fraud and forgery in the world of fine art". www.wbur.org. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  7. ↑ Rahm, Danielle. "Warhols, Pollocks, Fakes: Why Art Authenticators Are Running For The Hills". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  8. ↑ Malaviya, Nalini S. "The fine art of authenticity". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 2023-11-01.
  9. ↑ Cartwright, Mark, Mark (2020-07-10). "Copies & Fakes in Art during the Renaissance". World History Encyclopedia.
  10. ↑ Mould, Philip (2010). The Art Detective: Fakes, Frauds, and Finds and the Search for Lost Treasures. Viking Adult. New York. ISBN   978-0670021857.
  11. ↑ Jen Baker (2021-07-27), "Professional Painting Assessment: Pigment Analysis". Fine Art Restoration Company. Retrieved 2023-08-15
  12. 1 2 Charney, Noah (2015). The Art of Forgery: The Minds, Motives and Methods of Master Forgers. Phaidon Press. ISBN   978-0714867458.
  13. ↑ Lenain, Thierry (2011). Art Forgery: The History of a Modern Obsession. Reaktion Books. ISBN   978-1861898500.
  14. ↑ Calcani, Giuliana (2022). "The Cultural Pollution of the Fake: The case of the Pseudo-Ancient Bronze of an "Artisan" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art". In Salvadori, Monica; Bernard, Elisa; Zamparo, Luca; Baggio, Monica (Eds.). Beyond Forgery. Collecting, Authentication and Protection of Cultural Heritage. Padova. ISBN   978-88-6938-292-5 – via Padova University Press.
  15. ↑ Eastaugh, Nicholaus (2010). "Authenticity and the Scientific Method Past Approaches, Present Problems and Future Promise". InCoRM Journal. 1 (1). S2CID   160029944.
  16. 1 2 "New tools are making it easier to authenticate paintings". The Economist. ISSN   0013-0613 . Retrieved 2023-12-11.
  17. ↑ "Radiocarbon Dating". American Chemical Society. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  18. ↑ "AUTHENTICATIONS AND ATTRIBUTIONS". College Art. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  19. ↑ Sula, Dea (20 September 2023). "New Tools for Old Problems: Artificial Intelligence as a New Due Diligence and Authentication Tool for the Art Market?". Center for Art Law. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  20. ↑ Marsham, Rebecca. "Defining Transparency In The Art Market". MYARTBROKER. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  21. ↑ Ostmeyer, Johann; Schaerf, Ludovica; Buividovich, Pavel; Charles, Tessa; Postma, Eric; Popovici, Carina (2024). "Synthetic images aid the recognition of human-made art forgeries". PLOS ONE. 19 (2): e0295967. arXiv: 2312.14998 . Bibcode:2024PLoSO..1995967O. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295967 . PMC   10866502 . PMID   38354162.
  22. ↑ Rahm, Danielle. "Lack Of Authenticating Expert Renders Valuable Artwork Practically Worthless". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
  23. 1 2 Art, Critique (20 March 2020). "The Enduring Challenges of Authenticating Art". ART CRITIQUE. Retrieved 2023-12-29.
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