Insights into identifying fake artworks
Fake prints and artworks in the market can make it difficult to identify originals, especially concerning the graphic work by Salvador Dali.
Our specialist team frequently handles claims with works on paper, mostly limited edition prints, by notoriously forged artists such as Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Marc Chagall and Alexander Calder. Experts say one-half of all limited edition prints in the art market bear false signatures and are actually fake reproductions. They each pose a challenging effort to confirm authenticity; the edition numbers, types of paper used, signatures, blind stamps, and other major characteristics associated with the particular artist in question need to be confirmed.
There is an overabundance of fake limited edition prints in the marketplace by top-tier artists, and these fakes appear in claims just as often as originals. The most complicated of situations involving fraudulent art is the case for the graphic work by Surrealist artist Salvador Dali.
Finding the fakes
Dali, the artist, spent much of his life promoting himself and was the most well known 20th-century artist of his time. During Dali’s most productive years from 1963-1979, the majority of his output was in the form of works on paper, which constituted the bulk of his mature oeuvre. The works on paper provided a way for the masses to collect his art and own an original Dali.
The outcome of Dali’s failing health in the 1980s resulted in an unauthorized production of millions of Dali prints. Albert Field, Dali’s former archivist, said unscrupulous associates and even Dali’s wife, Gala, took advantage of his ill health by signing questionable deals for unsupervised publication of his works, opening the way to widespread fakery. It is Dali’s great popularity and marketability that have made him vulnerable to art forgers, Field said, especially because Dali often left it to artisans to make the printing without supervision. Soon Dali fakes and forgeries took over the market, and many reputable auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s ceased to sell Dali graphics due to the abundance of fakes in circulation.
In 1994, Albert Field published “The Official Catalog of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dali,” the creation of which spanned three decades, which created a much-needed source of guidance on buying Dali works on paper. Fine art appraisers cite the Field catalog when appraising a Dali graphic; this catalog is available in most local art libraries and can be purchased for $285 from Dali Gallery. However, the Field catalog would not suffice for determining an original from a fake if your knowledge of fine art techniques and processes is not adequate.
Dali used a variety of printing techniques including engravings, woodcuts, lithographs and mixed media pieces in both numerical and Roman numeral editions. Many of his prints were published in a series and in portfolios as well as the individual sheet publications. A variety of papers were used in different editions, including Arches, BFK Rives and Japon paper, and one image could be printed in several editions on different papers.
For example, the popular “Our Historical Heritage” Suite of 11 drypoint etchings by Dali was created in a triage of 770-plus proofs; there are 50 on Japon paper numbered SA1/5 – SA 50/50 and 300 on Arches numbered SA 1/300 – SA 300/300. Additionally, there are 50 others on Japon numbered I/L – L/L, 20 others on Arches numbered HC I/XX – HC I/XX – XX/XX, and an additional 400 on Arches numbered 1/400 – 400 – 400. This is an example of a larger edition for Dali.
When the authentic editions vary in the nature of edition numbers, sizes and papers, one could see how easy it could be to create an unauthorized edition. “The Official Catalog of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dali” will list which editions are on what paper; if you find an edition size on paper that is not watermarked, it is likely this is an unauthorized restrike created after the intended signed Dali lifetime editions with a facsimile signature.
Is it real?
So how does one determine a Dali to be original? When deciding if your Dali print is authentic, first, you have to know what encompasses a fake Dali. There are several ways Dali fakes manifest in the market:
- The print is a signed open (unlimited edition). According to Field, Dali never signed open editions.
- The print is from an extended unknown edition, which does not correspond with the known published numbered edition.
- The print is a fake copy of a real print.
- The print is a facsimile with a forged signature.
- The print type, edition number and/or dimensions are unstated and ambiguous from the seller, as these are important factors of authentic Dali prints.
- The print is “after” an original Dali painting. There are cheap poster reproductions as there are no authentic Dali prints after one of his paintings.
- The print is a new image the artist never made.
- The print is stated to have been signed by Dali but was printed after 1980. According to Albert Field, a signature after 1980 is a forgery, and the work would not be authentic.
The fine art appraisers on the team have found more claimed fake Dali works on paper than originals, unfortunately. Their expertise and use of Field’s “Official Catalog of the Graphic Works of Salvador Dali” have settled many questionable insurance claims involving Dali works. Though more often than not, the insureds and clients are not privy to their fakes and were deceived by dealers and galleries who sold them works claiming to be originals. Thousands of Certificates of Authenticity were also manufactured and sold along with the fake reproductions, which assisted in sales. It can be a difficult and sensitive subject, which can only be managed and litigated by an expert in the field. Our company has identified many Dali counterfeits that have no replacement value, as most policies do not payout for black market art.
With the proper resources, it is hoped that the Dali fakes are making their way into extinction. Although they are still in circulation from dealers to consigners and sold in auction houses lacking the knowledge to determine originals from fakes. If your claim happens to contain Dali works, working with a professional appraiser knowledgeable in 20th century works on paper is recommended.
Erin K. Hollenbank serves as a fine art appraiser for the high-end valuation services of Enservio and Enservio Select. She is an Accredited Senior Appraiser of the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) with a specialty in fine art, conducting hundreds of appraisals and valuations.
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