Art Registry
In a world full of reproductions, determining the value of an objet d’art depends on establishing its authenticity—ensuring what you’re buying is the real deal.
In other words,
“No matter how famous an artist is, the artwork is only as valuable as its ability to be authenticated.”
Proof of authenticity is essential for insurance, tax and estate matters, gifting, sales, and other purposes.
Once artwork has left the artist’s hands, not even the artist can be sure if the artwork is authentic by looking at a photo without other verification.
Robert Read, the head of fine art and private client at insurance underwriter Hiscox, agreed.
“At the moment, most certificates of authenticity are not worth the paper they’re written on,”
he said, noting that simply googling the phrase will pull up tutorials on how to create one yourself.
“While certificates of authenticity are often debatable and of little actual worth on their own—having no financial backing or warranty—they can become much more valuable when coupled with provenance and technical investigation: scientific analysis put into context with technical art history,” Nadolny said.
“Technical investigation can support connoisseurial opinions with data and standard testing protocols, creating referenced, evidence-based reports that allow artworks to be accepted as authentic by the market.”
In other words, certificates of authenticity on their own may not be entirely useful; other documentation and research, as well as further technical and scientific analysis of the work of art, however, can prove its validity and hence its worth.
“Obtaining solid evidence—a thorough due diligence package involving scientific analysis, provenance research, and connoisseurial approval—is the best way to be sure of the authenticity of artworks,”
Nadolny said.
“The quality of what a certificate is and how it links to the work has to be better for the industry to rely on it,” Read said.
“If you could link that certificate to the work of art and record its history of being bought and sold over time, you would have a perfect provenance and authenticity as well.”
Michael Israel Studios maintains several Art Registries that contain photos, documents, and other information used to verify ownership and authenticity.
If you have a Michael Israel Artwork, you should consider a Collector Membership for access to your Private Collection in Michael’s Online Art Registry containing official information and documentation for your artwork.
If you possess a Michael Israel Artwork and are not the registered owner or do not have official documentation of authenticity or ownership, you should consider Authentication to receive official documentation and be registered as the owner.
NEW! ONLINE ART REGISTRY
Our primary Art Registry contains photos and information for thousands of Artworks only accessible to our staff members with clearance making it time-consuming and expensive to provide authenticity and other critical information.
To provide collectors with 24/7 access to critical data related to their Artwork, we set up an Online Art Registry with Private Collections.
Private Collections
Private Collections and Art Registry information are kept confidential. When logged in, Collector Members can view their Private Collection below and access, search, or download Art Registry information.
[ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”block” ihc_mb_who=”unreg” ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] [/ihc-hide-content]
More information
Michael’s professional career started in 1974 when he sold his first artwork. At first, he traveled to festivals to sell his works. The works he brought quickly sold out so he began taking requests and painting on the spot which drew large crowds of onlookers. Among those onlookers were event producers who asked Michael if he would do his painting as a show during their events. Pretty soon, Michael was painting for the grand opening of an Aquarium, as the headline entertainer for festivals, a motivational presenter for Fortune 500 corporate events, celebrity events, and even presidential events in Washington DC. He began receiving requests from estate attorneys wanting him to authenticate artwork their clients inherited, and from people whose artwork had been lost or stolen. At that point Michael began documenting his artworks and recording the information in a registry. With collectors scattered throughout the world, he needed a way to authenticate his artworks without having to examine the physical artwork himself. Michael came up with an ingenious process of adding unique authentication markers that cannot be duplicated.
One couple who purchased an eagle painting lost it in a house fire 15-years later and their insurance company required both proof of authenticity and proof of ownership. Thanks to Michael’s Art Registry and the information it contains, the insurance company paid the couple 10x what they originally paid for the artwork 15-years earlier.
If you have a Michael Israel Artwork, you should consider a Collector Membership for access to your Private Collection in Michael’s Online Art Registry containing official information and documentation for your artwork.