Provenance Guide
IFAR's Provenance Guide
The ownership history of a work of art is of fundamental importance for all those involved in the collecting, exhibiting and study of art, for determining both attribution as well as legal title. Ownership claims by heirs of Holocaust victims whose art works were looted or otherwise misappropriated during the Nazi Era, and also claims by foreign “source” countries for antiquities and objects of cultural heritage they believe were exported in violation of patrimony or export laws, underscore the importance of provenance today. The attached Guide serves as a primer for conducting provenance research.
Provenance Research Service
Since 1970, IFAR has offered a scholarly Provenance Research Service to museums, legal representatives, government organizations, private individuals, and other art professionals. Provenance investigations are conducted at an hourly rate with a minimum of five hours. If additional provenance research is required, IFAR will perform an additional five hours of research at our discretion. Any research undertaken beyond 10 hours will be by agreement of both parties, and will be billed at a reduced hourly rate. At the conclusion of the 10 hours, IFAR will issue a final written report of our findings.
Contact us at 212-391-6234 or research@ifar.org for additional information and application forms.