Art Authenticity

Central Art is built on partnerships: with the Aboriginal artists and with our customers.

We follow a well defined provenance and authenticity process to ensure that we are exemplar in our business practice.

Central Art is also an authorised and endorsed member of the Australian Indigenous Art Trade Association (Art.Trade) which aims to promote the ethical trade of indigenous art. Our membership is a demonstration of our hard work and support of Aboriginal artists and the Aboriginal art industry in this area.

How do we ensure the history (provenance) of our artworks such as where and when it was made and how it came onto the market?

Each work is purchased directly from the artist, catalogued, photographed, and the context and the content of each work documented through personal interview.

Do we properly document our artworks?

Yes. Each painting is assigned a Central Art Certificate of Authenticity which includes the catalogue number, date of issue, artist name and details, professional photographs of the painting, where the work was painted, the medium and size, detailed description of the work and where possible a pictorial record.

How do we ensure that the artwork is authentic (made by the person stated as the artist)?

'My painting is my signature' one artist said.

We encourage all our artists to sign their work. When a work is brought to us, we witness and photograph the signing event. This serves two purposes. It gives the artist a permanent record of ownership of their work and the physical photo empowers them within their community. It gives the buyer a witnessed guarantee that the work is from the artist it purports to be and the buyer is then able to make a connection with the creator of the work.

There are cultural circumstances, such as ‘sorry business’ or ceremonial events that make a request for a signature inappropriate. Where possible we arrange for a series of photographs of the work in progress but only if it is not invasive to the artist.

In our desire to see the Aboriginal art business established on ethical principles, we are happy for potential buyers to contact us if they have any queries regarding a work’s authenticity. We advise buyers to ensure they have authentic documentation with any purchase and to keep this documentation as it will be essential for any future resale.

We welcome the current Australian Inquiry into the Indigenous Art Market and the proposed regulations on best practices on authenticity and quality.

(Photo: Aboriginal Artist Ada Bird Petyarre signing her Painting at Central Art © 2008 Central Art)

 

Sales Enquiries

Sabine Haider
Central Art - Aboriginal Art Store
T: (08) 8952 1711 (Aus) or +61 8 8952 1711 (Int)
Skype: centralart (Get Skype and call us for free)
F: (08) 8952 1744 (Aus) or +61 8 8952 1744 (Int)
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