Certificate of Authenticity explained

Ever wonder what a Certificate of Authenticity is, and why it's important to have with your artwork? 

Authenticity

Firstly, a Certificate of Authenticity (CoA) is a document certifying an artwork as being authentically painted (or created) by the artist. The CoA is a product of the original seller (whether it be the artist or their gallery or representative), and bears their declaration of the artwork's authenticity. It often contains important details to identify the painting such as the individual code and/or image of the painting, as well as the title, artist's name and dimensions. Additionally, it should contain any information the artist wishes to convey that is specific to the individual artwork or its subject matter.  

Artwork's provenance

This information is all very nice to have, and we put trust in the gallery or representative to provide accurate information but a CoA also provides provenance of the artwork. And herein lies its real value.

It's not just about tracing the artworks origins, it's important that those origins lead to a reputable source.

The reputation of the certifying authority counts when it comes to resale down the track - if you're thinking of doing that. If you are, auction houses and on-sellers will want to know it's provenance...where it came from and how reputable those origins are. A CoA helps, and in some cases may be the only way to trace the artwork back to it's origin. Therefore it is very important to keep this document.

I recommend keeping it safely tucked in the back of the stretched painting, that way you always know it is with the painting, or perhaps you would prefer to keep it in a nice folder you can bring out at dinner parties to show friends. Either way, be sure to hold onto to your CoA.

What if my artwork didn't come with a CoA?

Firstly, every artwork at Utopia Lane comes with a CoA, even the small pieces, so do get in touch if you purchased with us so we can send you another one.

If you have inherited an artwork, been gifted a piece or perhaps found something special at a market that doesn't come with a CoA, look for identifying information on the back of the canvas to suggest where it came from, such as a gallery stamp or catalogue number. 

Quite often an artwork's catalogue number will have a gallery's identity built in. For example, a lot of ours start with the letters UL for Utopia Lane. And many businesses in the Aboriginal art industry will be able to identify the origin of catalogue numbers such as ours, or at least set you in the right direction.

A quick search of the artists name online should show you some of their representatives. Get in touch with them as at the very least, they may know where the catalogue number has originated from. From there, if you make contact with the origin gallery or representative they should be able match your artwork to their code.