It is a simple document, and yet it changes everything: the certificate of authenticity is a work of art’s identity card. Here is what it is for, what it must contain, how ARTDELION handles it, and what happens when the artist issues none.
What is a certificate of authenticity for?
The certificate attests that a work is indeed by the artist it claims. It protects your acquisition on three fronts: legal (proof of authenticity in the event of dispute), patrimonial (a certified work keeps and passes on its value, which is essential for a resale, an insurance policy or an estate) and historical (it documents provenance, the first stone in the work’s traceability).
What a good certificate must contain
A serious certificate states the artist’s name, the title of the work, its dimensions and materials, the year it was made, the words «
How it works at ARTDELION
Where the artist issues a certificate of authenticity, it comes with the work, signed in their own hand, and is handed over on delivery. Pierre Le Caër signs each certificate for his works personally. Where the artist issues none, we say so on the work page before purchase, and the piece travels with a detailed invoice and its documented record instead. As the artist’s agent, ARTDELION guarantees the process end to end: the work leaves the studio or the collection, the certificate is drawn up and signed, then the two travel together to you.
Keep it safe
Store the certificate apart from the work (in the event of loss or damage, it proves what you owned), photograph it, and pass it on in the event of resale or gift: a work that travels with its certificate and its successive invoices sees its provenance, and therefore its value, strengthened at every step.
What the certificate does not do
One frequent misunderstanding deserves clearing up. The certificate attests authenticity, not value. It does not say what the work is worth, nor what it will be worth. No document can guarantee a future value, and a seller who claims otherwise should worry you.
Nor does it replace the invoice. The two documents do not prove the same thing: the invoice establishes that you bought, the certificate establishes that the work is by the artist’s own hand. Keep both, they complement each other.
Certificate and resale
The day a work changes hands, the certificate becomes central again. A buyer or an auction house will ask you for three things: proof of authenticity, proof of acquisition and the chain of provenance.
A work that travels from its original studio with its signed certificate and its successive invoices has a continuous provenance. It is that word, provenance, that makes the difference on the secondary market. A work without provenance is not unsellable, it is simply harder to defend, and that is paid for in the price.
Frequently asked questions
Is a certificate compulsory? No law requires one for the work of a living artist. It is professional practice, and its absence on a contemporary piece should make you ask questions.
Can a certificate be reissued if lost? While the artist is alive and the work identifiable, yes, in most cases. Afterwards it becomes far more complicated. Hence the value of photographing it on arrival.
Is a scanned signature enough? No. The document that counts carries a handwritten signature. A printed signature commits nobody.
And for an edition? The certificate must then carry the print number and the total number of copies. At ARTDELION the question does not arise: the pieces presented are unique.
Who signs the certificate? The artist. Not the agency, not the gallery. ARTDELION guarantees the process, it does not certify in the maker’s place.
When the artist issues no certificate
The case exists, and it is more common than people think. Some artists never established the practice, others deliberately refuse to, considering that the work speaks for itself and that a piece of paper adds nothing to it. No law obliges them to issue one.
That changes nothing about your protection, provided the acquisition is documented. Three elements are enough for that: the detailed invoice, which names the artist, the title, the dimensions, the materials, the year and the price paid; the documented work record, with its photographs, its measurements and its history; and the chain of owners, which lets the piece be traced back to the studio. Taken together, those three establish a provenance that an auction house will accept.
Our rule is simple: the work page always states what comes with the piece, before purchase. We never promise a certificate the artist does not issue.
A question about a work’s authenticity?
If you have any doubt about a work acquired from us, our Terms and Conditions of Sale provide a dedicated remedy. And for any question before an acquisition, the agency answers you personally.