Independent art expertise
African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian art, examined independently.
Specialist opinions, valuations and provenance research for institutions, insurers, auction houses and private collections.
The approach
Independence is part of the expertise.
An independent expert has no lot to fill and no sale to secure. Each assignment ends with an opinion grounded in the object, its documents and its market, written to stand in front of a board, an insurer or a buyer.
Fields of expertise
A focused field, studied closely.
Each object carries a culture, a function and a history of hands. Reading them is the work.
African art
Sculpture, masks and ritual objects, read in their cultural and historical context.
Oceanic art
Works from Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia, examined for origin, function and documented history.
Pre-Columbian art
Ceramic and stone works from Mesoamerica and the Andes, where dating and provenance decide almost everything.
Services
One expert, from the first look to the written report.
Expertise and assessment
Examination of a single work or a collection: attribution, materials, condition, provenance and market.
Valuation
For insurance, succession, donation, sale or acquisition. The basis and scope are agreed before the work starts.
Collection inventories
Identification and documentation of each object, so a collection can be insured, lent or passed on.
Provenance research
The history of ownership, traced through archives, publications and past sales.
Advice for professionals
Specialist opinions for foundations, insurers, lawyers and auction houses, alone or with other experts when a case calls for it.
Who calls on him
Called in when a file needs a specialist.
Institutions and foundations
Acquisitions, collection reviews and research on individual works.
Insurers and legal advisers
Valuations and opinions written for the file, on the terms each case requires.
Auction houses
A second eye on works outside the house's own specialities.
Collectors
A clear view of what you own and where it comes from.
Method
Every opinion starts with the object.
Appearance is never enough. Depending on the assignment, the examination covers:
Attribution
Culture, region and artistic tradition.
Materials and making
Wood, stone, clay or fibre, techniques, tool marks and style.
Condition
Wear, losses, restorations and later alterations.
Provenance
Ownership history, archives, publications and exhibitions.
Market
Comparable works and documented sale results.
The report separates what is established from what remains open.
About
Eric N.
Eric N. is an independent specialist in African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian art. He works directly with each client, and with other specialists when a case calls for it.
His training, his years in the field and the institutions he has worked with, to be completed with Eric.
Contact
Discuss a work or a collection.
A short description, a few photographs and the place where the object is kept are enough to begin. Every enquiry is treated in confidence.
Discuss an assignment