A Solution to Fake and Fraudulent Artworks?

A Solution to Fake and Fraudulent Artworks?

A new company by the name of Identeart http://www.indenteart.com has just launched a new artwork authentication system for artworks which I think is extremely exciting and very useful for anyone buying or selling artwork. Identeart has designed a label which incorporates datadotDNA which is basically a tiny dot on which information can be printed and then attached to the back of a canvas. According to the Identeart website DataDotDNA http://www.datadot.com.au consists of tiny discs, about the size of a grain of sand, each laser-etched with multiple lines of code. The code is unique for each asset and is stored on our worldwide verification database.

Fake print of 'Battle of Tetuan' by Salvador Dali

The label its self is designed so that it cannot be completely removed and will always leave an identifiable trace of the sticker on the item.. The information on the label can be scanned with a special scanner revealing the information about the artwork and a reference to the information in the DataDot database. The link to the database allows the provenance of an artwork to be entered into the database as the artwork changes ownership creating a traceable history for the artwork and consequently an invaluable source of authentication and identification.

Artists have gone to great lengths (adding own DNA to artwork !!) in the past to ensure that their work is not faked so a system such as Identeart is long overdue and should prove to be very popular. The only question I would have is that of cost which may be a turn off for some artists but for auction houses, galleries and museums who have the money to spend, the benefits far out weigh the cost.

**Nicholas Forrest is an art market analyst, art critic and journalist based in Sydney, Australia. He is the founder of artmarketblog.com, writes the art column for the magazine Antiques and Collectables for Pleasure and Profit and contributes to many other publications.