Aboriginal artworks are a thing of beauty and a revered possession, but many previous buyers have had unpleasant experiences due to their lack of knowledge. Incompetency or an amateurish grasp of aboriginal artwork is common, and illegal traders of art mostly look for these. So, before you fall victim to fraudsters and burn a hole in your pocket, take note of procedurally engaging with the community that deals with aboriginal art for sale.
Purchasing Guide
1. Intensive Research
Research can be broadly divided into internal and external categories. Internal research entails researching leading artists whose artwork has influenced you in contemporary times. External research before investing in aboriginal art for sale requires a greater degree of diligent questioning unless you are completely satisfied with the credentials. The trick is not to shy away from throwing as many questions as you have. After all, there is no other way to ascertain if the purchase will be an ethical one or not. Some of the common questions to ask your seller should be along the following directives:
- Artist’s compensation in terms of actual value.
- Ethical background checks on the conditional reality of the artists while preparing the artistic piece.
- The authenticity of the piece made by the artist and other such claims made by the seller.
- Seller’s knowledge base about the artwork and its history, the hereditary community, art centre, and artist.
- A detailed breakdown of the price and profit the seller generates by selling artwork.
2. Certificate of Authenticity
It is natural to expect a certificate of authenticity against every purchase you make from a seller. The art centres actually issue these documents from where the seller bought these artworks. Furthermore, these certificates must have a detailed note of provenance details and the profile details of the artist. Even though there is practically no international standard or code for such certificates, and the format may vary from one art centre to the next, none of the following details will be missed on these certificates.
- Artist name, profile, and other relevant details
- Legal profiling of the artist (such as birth location, DOB, etc.)
- Digital images of the artwork (compulsory) as well as the artist (optional)
- The precise dimension of the artwork
- The pairing title given by the artist
- The catalogue number (a catalogue number is an identification number of the artwork piece that can be useful to track down and link an artwork to its rightful owner or the artist)
- Synopsis or Brief (The length of the synopsis is usually decided by the artist, and therefore, the length will be a variable as this falls completely under the judgment of the artist.)
3. Avoid Buying Unethically Marketed Work
Whenever a seller makes an unethical sale, it hurts not only the buyer but also the artist. Aboriginal artists have long been exploited by faulty sellers who buy their artwork at nominal expenses and sell them with a sales pitch that exemplifies exoticism. They earn a huge profit margin instead with no consequences.
Final Thoughts
Fraud operations can devalue and dispirit artistic integrity. Artists take immense care to produce something that is representative of their culture, traditions, and heritage. Hurting and taking advantage of an artist is equivalent to hurting the cultural sentiments of a community. So, your research and diligence assure you that the money you owe an artist goes into the right pockets. Be thorough and appreciate art and artists the way you are meant to!
