Sally He in Conversation with Provenance Expert at Court of Arbitration for Art Angelina Giovani-Agha

The Art Provenance Report is a follow-up to the first Art Provenance Symposium held earlier this year. At that symposium, over twenty delegates shared their expert opinions on topics like repatriation and restitution, new databases and research tools, case studies on a variety of potential red flags, various provenance research methodologies, the ongoing cultural heritage crisis in Ukraine, and the evolution of public perception over time.

The report puts the major themes in perspective while highlighting the significant problems curators, independent researchers, and those working in the art market confront. The report aims to broaden the discussion on "How much due diligence qualifies as duly diligent" and ideally agree on a universal provenance standard, but most importantly, lay the foundation for future reports to collect, analyse, and interpret previously unknown data in insightful and valuable ways. They are vital in strengthening the relationship between the private and institutional culture sectors.

MADE IN BED has the opportunity to invite Angelina Giovani-Agha, the author of the Art Provenance Report 2023 and a provenance Expert at the Court of Arbitration for Art. In this exclusive interview, Angelina delved behind the scenes of making this report and mentioned the highlights of her research career.

The Art Provenance Report 2023.

Sally He: What are the initial thoughts behind putting up the report; why is it necessary for collectors to be aware of the issues behind provenance and due diligence?

Angelina Giovani-Agha: The Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art in 1998 aimed to address the displacement of art and cultural heritage during WWII, after which many looted artworks found their way into museum collections.

Where artworks came from was only essential to market transactions recently. If anything, the purpose of provenance research was, for many years, to help answer authenticity questions rather than track the artwork’s physical journey. If a work of art could be traced systematically to prominent collectors and dealers, it would most likely be deemed authentic. The report's purpose, which followed the inaugural edition of the Art Provenance Symposium, was to establish the precedent for a yearly publication which would be the authority over tracking the developments, or lack thereof, in the field of provenance research. 

SH: What challenges are researchers facing with the fast pace of technological changes and development in the art industry, and how will it affect the research process?

AGA: Current technological developments are yet to affect the process of provenance research. However, the digitisation of archival materials has made the most significant impact over the past few years, making it possible to consult certain sources without physically needing to travel to a location for access, which previously required a lot of unnecessary time and effort.  

Looking towards the future, technologies such as blockchain will help record future ownership history. However, in its current state, it is not a substitute for actual due diligence, as the quality of information it holds depends on the integrity of the data entered. 

Angelina Giovanni-Agha.

SH: Please provide insight into the criteria researchers and cataloguers should consider in the present industry dynamics.

AGA: This is a very complex question, as it depends on the object being researched. But generally speaking, one must ask the right questions relating to that object and undertake in-depth research to answer them. Checking relevant databases, consulting primary and secondary materials in libraries and archives, and reaching out to other scholars with relevant expertise make for a well-rounded approach. At the same time, the research process must be documented appropriately so there is verifiable proof of all the due diligence steps undertaken.

SH: On a national level, such as the Washington principles in 1998 or the Anti Money Laundering regulations adopted by the UK government in 2017, how does it help with the research and control of due diligence?

AGA: They are very different. As per the name, one is a regulation, and the other is a set of recommendations (or principles). AML regulations are overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and apply to all institutions in the financial services industry and across other industries. Unfortunately, as far as the Washington principles are concerned, there is no way to enforce them. That being said, the Washington Principles played a pivotal role in launching provenance research as a discipline. It set the tone for what we should aspire to achieve, even if the uptake has been slow.

SH: The report mentioned that the more prominent the artist, the more information one is likely to find on them. What steps would you take to address its due diligence, provenance research, and issues in cases involving lesser-known artists or artworks?

AGA: It might sound rather farfetched, but the issue, in this case, is not because of the acts of carrying out due diligence or provenance research per se; it is the declining interest in art historical scholarship in its entirety. There is currently a greater interest in the contemporary art market than, for example, the Old Masters or the Decorative Arts market. The market performance of specific genres and period-specific pieces does play a role in influencing interest. The way we interact with art has ultimately changed. In the past, we spent much more time looking at art in detail, analysing style and patterns and repeating elements. There was a greater focus on trying to ‘read’ artworks. Sadly, nowadays, even when visiting shows in person, the public stop to take a picture and move on to the next artwork. That makes developing real expertise in any area hard, as the approach remains superficial.

Helena Newman, auctioneering Gustav Klimt's record-breaking Dame mit Fächer (Lady with a Fan) by Gustav Klimt. Photo by Haydon Perrior, Image courtesy Sotheby's.

SH: During the report, James Ratcliffe, the director at the Art Loss Register,  addresses the issue of auction houses regularly listing vague ownership history of the work due to General Data Protection Regulation. What are the possible impacts and effects that may cause transparency in the market?

AGA: GDPR is relatively new compared to the very long-standing privacy and opaque practices of the art market. It is the ultimate question. How can the art market be more transparent without sabotaging the relationship with their clients who pick the auction houses primarily for the discretion they offer? Real progress has yet to be made In this aspect, and it is unlikely we will see any drastic changes in the future. We could start very small, and add a small addendum to the consignor contracts, to ask sellers directly whether they would be open to being contacted by independent researchers if there is a question on the artwork. This would not clash with GDPR and would be a significant step forward.

However, museums are increasingly taking action to restitute looted artefacts in their collections. For example, in October 2022, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, which administrate the National Gallery of Art, the Smithsonian institution’s national museum of African Art and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, held a joint ceremony on 11 October to mark the return of 31 Benin bronzes from their respective collection to Nigeria. 

Benin Bronzes installed in the British Museum. Image: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images.

SH: What are your thoughts on the action and awareness of restitution from multiple national museums around the globe?

AGA:Restitutions and repatriations over the past years signify tremendous progress. Particular objects around the world are integral to the identity and culture of the people to whom they belong. The Worlds Universal museums hold millions of objects, and this volume makes it difficult to account for where everything came from. But the objects with clear and persistent claims to themes would absolutely be returned. The Western standards from display, preservation and research are not standard and sometimes not applicable to materials from other cultures. We need to repatriate cultural artefacts whenever there is an ethical and moral claim made against them and allow them to be studied, preserved and displayed in the environment they were intended for.

SH: What are the most exciting artworks or objects you have researched during your research journey?

AGA: The most exciting research projects are always the most challenging because they push you to be creative and resourceful. A few years ago, I got to work on a long-lost painting by Correggio, which turned out to be a missing masterpiece. It was very rewarding to complete its history and see the story come to life after being forgotten for centuries. We are now in the process of filling a 100-year-old gap for a painting by Jules Bastien-Lepage and conducting provenance research as part of the authentication process for a watercolour by John Singer Sargent, so there is never a dull moment in provenance research.

Many thanks to Angelina Giovani-Agha on behalf of MADE IN BED.

To learn more about Angelina and her work, follow her on LinkedIn. To learn more about The Art Provenance Report 2023, click the download link above.

Sally He

Interviews Co-Editor, MADE IN BED