Detailed Guide to Purchasing
and Owning Art

Looking to purchase art – Here’s where you should start

Visit your local art galleries where you can see a wide selection of art and forge connections with the
galleries, art professionals and enthusiasts like you who can better educate you and help you
become more familiar with different works of art. Visit museums and join collector groups to learn
more about how they go about purchasing art. Many seasoned collectors recommend purchasing
smaller pieces of art such as drawings or prints before moving on to bigger and more expensive
artwork.
You can get additional information from ADAA (Art Dealers Association of America), FADA (Fine Art
Dealers Association) and PADA (Private Art Dealers Association). Major auction houses like Christies
and Sotheby’s also have a wealth of knowledge and information online.

Researching provenance for a piece of art

Before you purchase any piece of art you need to familiarize yourself with the piece’s provenance
(detailed history of ownership of the art piece). Unfortunately, not all pieces will have a complete
provenance available however there are some resources available to you that can help fill in the
missing gaps. The Getty Provenance Index is a great place to begin with a massive database of nearly
1 million records on different Western European works of art from the 16 th to the early 20 th century.

How to confirm if a piece of art has been stolen

The last thing any art collector wants to find out is that a piece of art they recently purchased was in
fact stolen or looted. Fortunately, there are ways you can get more information on a specific piece of
art you may be interested in acquiring. Artproof.com is a large stolen art database with tons of
artworks listed. In addition, there are some smaller privately owned stolen art databases you can
consult as well.

How to verify a piece of art’s authenticity

Understanding if a piece of art is authentic is probably the single most important thing you should do
before purchasing any piece of art. Most pieces should have an accompanying raisonné however if
there is none available you can still find information to help you authenticate it. Museum and some
public libraries can be extremely helpful in finding more information as they often have loads of
information and resources available. If you find yourself in New York, The Frick Art Reference Library
has an extensive photo archive and access to digital resources as well. Finally, you can also consult
private firms and experts in the field for more information.

How to determine the condition of a piece of art

It’s important to understand when you’re looking to determine the condition of an art piece that you
seek the advice and expertise of an experienced conservator to evaluate the condition and quality of
the piece. They can help you get crucial insights about the art piece and let you know if it requires
any restoration and how to properly care for and store it.

How to clean and restore your piece of art

Overtime art pieces can deteriorate if not properly stored and taken care of which can significantly
affect the value. If you do need to restore a damaged piece of art, it’s important to understand
exactly what’s needed. More often than not only light cleaning is required to restore the piece back
to its former beauty. If significant work is required or even repainting proceed with caution and be
sure the work is reversable.

How to document your collection

In order to ensure you can prove ownership of your pieces of art it’s important to ensure you obtain
an Object ID which is an international standard used to describe and document artwork. First
introduced by the Getty Trust it is now being used by ICOM (International Council of Museums).
Using Object ID to document your various pieces of art is a great way to ensure your collection is
properly documented. In addition, you should make sure to take pictures as well to go along with
the other documents and proof of ownership.

How to get your piece of art appraised

To properly determine the value of a piece of art in your collection you will first need to go to an
accredited appraiser or organization. In the United States there are three main appraisal
organizations which include AAA (Appraisers Association of America), ASA (the American Society of
Appraisers) and ISA (the International Society of Appraisers). These organizations work with local
accredited appraisers and refer you to someone in your area. In addition, there are also various art
dealer associations such as ADDA (Art Dealers Association of America) and auction houses that can
also provide appraisal services.