VETTING AT MASTERPIECE LONDON Vetting is the expert appraisal of works of art and has been undertaken at Masterpiece since its first edition in 2010.

There are 27 individual vetting committees whose membership is taken from leading international specialists comprising scholars drawn from all areas of the art world including museum curators, conservators, auctioneers, dealers and gallerists. And to ensure that the skills of vetting are passed down to future generations, Masterpiece has established a mentee scheme, where those new to vetting learn from the more experienced.

These specialists are called upon to use their knowledge, expertise and experience in the handling works of art, to review every exhibit at the Fair that falls within their area of expertise to ensure that exhibits are genuine works of art of the period they are represented to be and in their original form. They base their judgement on the authenticity of the work of art. They also seek clarity in the label which is required to show the correct attribution, provenance, references to condition and restoration, and where applicable, details relating to materials or placement in an edition, as well as certificates of authentication, catalogue raisonné numbers, exhibition or literature history. At times, an exhibit may be requested to be either removed or relabelled.

Working alongside the vetting committees are the Art Loss Register and the Cranfield Forensic Institute. The Art Loss Register (ALR) check exhibits against its database which is one of the world’s largest privately managed dataset of works of art, antiques and collectables that are reported as stolen, missing, looted, subject to a dispute or loan or with other issue. Any object found to be subject to a claim is removed from the Fair. Cranfield Forensic Institute support the vetting committees with the interpretation of technical and scientific reports and analytics of substantiation of various materials and associated data.

Through the process of vetting, confidence is given to all who visit, whether museum curators, experienced collectors or those new to buying, and it is central to the ethos and integrity of the Fair.
 

• The Art Loss Register
• Cranfield Forensic Institute