Authentication in a legal framework: Methodologies that underscore art authentication in practice

Abstract

The ideal of art authentication in practice stems not solely from a need to protect market interests, but from a need to protect the interests of artists and the integrity of their artistic legacies (Spencer 2004). This paper looks at the legal context for the methodologies that underscore art authentication in practice, and the legal framework that should preposition the gathering of evidence, external to a court proceeding. Essentially, it seeks to explore the question: Should the potential for litigious action bind the process of art authentication to a legal evidence-based framework? This paper is presented with regard to the investigations of the oeuvre of the contemporary Australian ar..