Art fraud is a serious crime that can represent tremendous economic losses to its victims. Whether you are a serious collector or are just beginning to invest in art, it is important to know some of the top techniques for determining whether you have been victimized and the art that you’ve purchased is a fake.  No matter how careful you are or how carefully you follow these techniques, it is important to be forgiving of yourself and to recognize that forgers and frauds have successfully cheated museums and art galleries. Do as much due diligence as you can, but if you feel that you have been cheated, the art fraud attorneys at Bochetto & Lentz can help. They have successfully represented many victims of art fraud, winning back compensation and subjecting those who have perpetrated fraud to punitive damages. Call us today for legal representation.

 

There are a number of ways to protect yourself against purchasing art that is a forgery or fake. The first and best way is to make sure that you are well educated about the appearance and characteristics of the work by artists you are interested in purchasing. This includes all aspects, and goes far beyond signature. You want to be familiar with a painter’s brush strokes, their favorite subject matters, what type of composition they favor and where they normally affix their signature to their work. It is helpful if you are familiar with the mediums that they commonly work in and the colors that they generally like, as well as how they sign their names, including whether they strictly use initials, first name, last name, full name or some other variation. It is not difficult, with a little research, to find out how an artist attaches their canvas to their stretcher bars or how their work is usually framed or mounted, and it is helpful to know whether they generally use dates, numbers or titles, what galleries they usually sell their art through, and if it is a sculptural piece, if there are any signature marks that should be visible on the bottom.

 

Looking through this list, it is obvious the degree of detail and information that is necessary to equip yourself with in order to protect yourself from fraud. People who are experienced art buyers have gone so far as to purchase black lights to detect irregularities and different paint types, jewelers’ lupes to provide them with the ability to identify digital printing vs. actual limited edition prints, and other magnification tools that can reveal age cracks.

 

Forgers are extremely sophisticated, and their ranks are growing every day. If you suspect that somebody has taken advantage of you and sold you a piece of fake art, you do not need to accept being a victim. Call the art fraud attorneys at Bochetto & Lentz and make an appointment for a free consultation. We will listen carefully and provide you with the information that you need on how to right the wrong that has been done.

 

Learn more about Art Fraud here – https://www.bochettoandlentz.com/practice-areas/antiquities-and-art-fraud-attorney/