Modification:Sciento-2017-0011
Accept the following reconstruction of the contemporary authority delegation structure in the art market regarding the works of Renoir: a work claimed to be by Renoir is authentic iff (1) it has been certified as authentic by the Wildenstein institute or (2) it has not been dismissed by the Wildenstein institute and it is included in the Bernheim-Jeune catalogue.
The modification was suggested to Scientonomy community by Mirka Loiselle on 19 May 2017.1 The modification is currently being evaluated; a verdict is pending.
Preamble
The Bernheim-Jeune family has the distinction of having been one of Renoir’s major art dealers in his lifetime. They therefore have close ties to the Renoir estate as well as substantial records on his paintings. However, in 2015, a team from the BBC show Fake or Fortune attempted to prove the authenticity of a painting purportedly by Renoir, which had been hanging in England’s Picton Castle for several years and was included in the Bernheim-Jeune catalogue. The Wildensteins, however, deemed that the painting was not authentic. As a result, it was turned down by Christie auction house.
It seems likely, then, that while both the Wildenstein Institute and Bernheim-Jeune Gallery are considered legitimate authorities in the art world, they seem to be delegated different degrees of authority: the Bernheim-Jeune catalogue is being consulted only if the Wildensteins have no opinion on the authenticity of a painting. Thus, the relationship between the art market and the two institutions can be interpreted as that of a hierarchical authority delegation.
Modification
Accept the following reconstruction of the contemporary authority delegation structure in the art market regarding the works of Renoir:
- A work claimed to be by Renoir is authentic iff (1) it has been certified as authentic by the Wildenstein institute or (2) it has not been dismissed by the Wildenstein institute and it is included in the Bernheim-Jeune catalogue.
Verdict
The modification is currently being evaluated; a verdict is pending.
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References
- ^ Loiselle, Mirka. (2017) Multiple Authority Delegation in Art Authentication. Scientonomy 1, 41-53. Retrieved from https://www.scientojournal.com/index.php/scientonomy/article/view/28233.