Watchdog Foundation to
overview transparency of commerce in
works of art.
Article published by Paula Ruiz of the Spanish newspaper
La Razon Culture and Spectacle section.
A "watchdog" foundation that will overview the
transparency of commerce in works of art is born in Europe (Spain).
Barcelona. - A new entity destined to create confidence in the Art Market was presented yesterday at the recently opened "Torre Agbar de Barcelona".
The World Art Service Foundation (WASF), is the official name of the organization, a non-profit organization intending to bring "judicial security" which would warranty the transparency in all transactions involving the commerce of works of art.
According to its President Mrs. Isidre Faine, general director of the La Caixa (a Spanish financial institution), it is born out of the desire of a civil society wishing to invest in artistic objects due to a greater wealth.
One of its objectives is to generate a series of recommendations addressed to the European Commission of Trade so it can elaborate proposals to protect the public as well as the private artistic patrimony. It is also its intention to involve artists, experts, art galleries and museums of the whole World.
The ceremony was attended by, among many others, Don Jose Ramon Santolalla, first vice-president of the WASF foundation and chief responsible of the "Central International Archives for Objects of Art" (AICOA), Sergi Pastor, second vice-president and sponsor delegate of the institution and Luis Bassat a member of the foundation committee.
It was emphasized that this foundation was born as a response to the more than 40,000 art robberies that every year happen in the world, according to the INTERPOL and to the more than 200 millions of Euros (around 280 millions of dollars) lost to falsification cases. In this sense, Faine reminded that it is important to know the history of a painting, its origin, where has it been and where it is now. This is what we called traceability.
Santaloalla also said that we must help the European Commission to design new directives covering the traceability of the art objects, supply the necessary technical means to implement and enforce both the judicial as well as the documentation aspect.
One step to be undertaken is to elaborate and implement a file or dossier of the work of art in question, where indications such as attribution, authorship, state of conservation, whether restoration is or has been required, etc. Other aspects will be worked upon in order to obtain its objectives and increase the confidence in the art market at the international level.
A Pioneer Organization.
Behind this foundation one can find as founder partners, two important enterprises: Applus, the first certificating entity in Spain and the Archivo Internacional Central de Objetos de Arte (AICOA) one of the most relevant archives for objects of art in the world. Besides these institutions there can also be found personalities and celebrities as main promoters of this initiatives, the Duchess of Alba, the Baroness Carmen Thyseen (famed Thyssen Museum of Madrid), sister Esther and Alice Koplowitz, Juan Abell, Joaquin Folch, among others.
The Foundations disposes of a capital of 360,000 Euros and a staff of 10 persons.
Among the Investigation and Development programs it is sought to advance the project "EXPERTOA", a program of "technical" expertise services of works of art. Furthermore, it is intended to publish a book about the styles and vocabulary of the art, as well as a historical and scientific chronology on the History of Art, since its beginnings.
There is also the intention to create a data base on the REFERENCED PIGMENTS conducive to accomplish the studies of the paint and of the particular different techniques of their creators to be able to ensure the validity of each of their works.
At the same time, a "Green Book" will be implemented in which all generic aspects about normalization; expertise as well as traceability appears.
Article published by Paula Ruiz of the Spanish newspaper
Culture and Spectacle section.
Copyright La Razon. Reprinted here by permission.
