The Expert Versus the Object - Judging Fakes and False Attributions in the Visual Arts

Oxford University Press, 2004, 241 pages. Minor signs of wear at dustjacket spine extremities, good secondhand condition.

The authenticity of art has always commanded the attention of experts, dealers, collectors and the art-minded public - especially those who relish the Robin Hoods of art forgery who deceive rich collectors and pompous experts. This book os essays, edited by a lawyer specializing in art law and authenticity, proposes to make the question of authenticity more easily understood. The mainpoints to be argues are (1) that the pereption of form in a work of art is not like other types of evidence accepted in courts of law; (2) that in determining authenticity, experts must adopt a careful, organized approach; (3) that all authentication should be based on the consensus of experts at arm's length from an object.