Covering key aspects of provenance research for the international art market, this accessible publication, co-published with the International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR), explores a range of themes including challenges and best practice to considerations specific to Nazi looted art and the trade in illicit antiquities. Provenance research is a crucial component of any art-market transaction. Without a provenance it is often difficult to establish a work’s authenticity, its true value or who has legal title. Whether buying, selling or simply maintaining an artwork in either a private or a public collection, the days when a blind eye could be turned to the history (or the lack of a known history) of a work have long gone. Proper, thorough and effective provenance research is the minimum required and demanded in today’s art world – a world that is increasingly recognizing the need for greater and more effective self-regulation in the face of fakes, forgeries and challenges to ownership or authenticity that are now commonplace. __Provenance Research Today__ is essential reading for a broad audience, from those studying to become part of the art world or professionals starting a career in provenance research, to collectors or would-be collectors, dealers, galleries, auction houses, police and art lawyers. Front Cover Title Page Copyright Half Title Acknowledgements Contents Foreword—Sharon Flescher Introduction—Arthur Tompkins Part I: The History, Purpose and Challenges of Provenance Research 1. The History and Purposes of Provenance Research—Arthur Tompkins 2. The Role of Provenance in Resolving Art-world Disputes—Leila Amineddoleh 3. The Challenges of Provenance Research—Sharon Flescher Part II: Best Practice in Provenance Research 4. Best-Practice Guidelines, Research Methods and Tools—Marie Stolberg and Andrea Lehmann 5. Scientific Examination and Provenance Research: Using Science to Resolve Questions of Provenance, Identity and False Attribution—Jennifer L. Mass 6. Data and Databases in Provenance Research—Jason Sousa and Ariane Moser 7. Provenance Research in a Digital Age—Louisa Wood Ruby Part III: Provenance Research, Museums and the Art Market 8. Provenance Research in Museums: The Long Run—Lynn Rother and Iris Schmeisser 9. The Place of Provenance in the Catalogue Raisonné—Susan J. Cooke 10. The Ethics of Provenance Research and the Art Market—Gareth Fletcher Part IV: Nazi-era Provenance Research 11. The Current State of Nazi-era Provenance Research, and Access to Nazi-Era Research Resources and Archives—Marc Masurovsky 12. The Journey Home: Nazi-Era Provenance Research and Restitution—James Ratcliffe and Amelie Ebbinghaus Part V: Provenance Research and the Illicit Antiquities Trade 13. Researching the Structure of the Illicit Antiquities Trade—Simon Mackenzie and Donna Yates 14. From Soil to Showroom: Tracing Illicit Antiquities Across the World—Lynda Albertson 15. The Return of the Plundered: Case Studies in the Provenance of Illicit Antiquities—Tess Davis Select Resources About the Contributors Index This is the first accessible reference handbook to cover key aspects of provenance research for the international art market. It guides the reader from a basic introduction to research methods to questions of ethics and the challenges of specific case histories and contexts. 0Provenance research is a crucial component of any art-market transaction. Without a provenance it is often difficult to establish a work's authenticity, its true value, or who has legal title. Whether buying, selling, or simply maintaining an artwork in either a private or a public collection, the days when a blind eye could be turned to the history (or the lack of a known history) of a work have long gone. Proper, thorough, and effective provenance research is the minimum required and demanded in today's art world--a world that is increasingly recognizing the need for greater and more effective self-regulation in the face of fakes, forgeries, and challenges to ownership or authenticity that are now commonplace. 0'The Provenance Research Handbook' is the essential reference tool for anyone involved in the art world, including provenance researchers, owners, or would-be owners, sellers of artworks, galleries, auction houses, collectors, dealers, museums, galleries, police, and art lawyers
