An expert’s membership in the UFE is the result of an admission based on strict criteria of legitimacy, competence, experience, and ethical conduct. It offers a genuine guarantee.
Expertise: User Guide
Johannes Vermeer Young Woman Writing a Letter c.1665 National Gallery of Art, Washington – D.R.
Guarantee
THE UFE LABEL, A SCIENTIFIC GUARANTEE
The specialized expert assesses the quality of the artwork or art object. They compile a file under their sole responsibility and issue a certificate of authenticity, personally committing to it, in order to safeguard the interests of a private or public purchase, to allow the item to be insured at its fair value, to encourage its preservation and transmission, and to certify its history, traceability, and significance. It is, of course, preferable that this expert be considered the best in their specialty.
The specialized expert is all the more necessary in public sales given that the promulgation of the law of July 20, 2011, liberalized the Art Market to all Voluntary Sales Operators, i.e., all auction houses, and that this expert is now the only actor, in the context of a public sale, to combine knowledge of the objects themselves with that of the Art market. The specialized expert thus holds a central position alongside the so-called generalist experts engaged by auctioneers to describe and guarantee the stated values.
Generally, the specialized expert’s mission is to assist a curator, gallery owner, private collector, auctioneer, generalist expert, amateur, or novice in their cultural endeavors and projects, whether for scientific advice, documentary research, or conferences.
Usefulness
A USEFUL, PRECISE, AND REASONABLE SERVICE
An opinion is useful because the quality and authenticity of an object are far from obvious. The opinion issued by the specialized expert is always preceded by a questionnaire that proves to them that they are dealing with the actual owner of the object, or their representative. They only issue an opinion when faced with the artwork or object, and the person legitimately recognized as the applicant.
The certificate of authenticity, accompanied by a numbered and UFE-stamped seal, is issued for one and the same object. It has legal value. It thus becomes the object’s authenticity passport. The details of the expertise remain confidential. The expert’s fees are freely determined based on the costs and difficulties of gathering assessment criteria, or the length and complexity of the report to be prepared.
The expert can provide a quote upon request and will commit to communicating their conclusions within a reasonable timeframe.
Galeries du Grand-Palais, face to face artwork/viewer at the exhibition Gauguin, the Alchemist, Paris 2018 © UFE., Paris 2020
(detail) Beautiful sculpted half-timbered facade – The Henri IV House, 1540, classified as a Historic Monument, Quartier Saint-Léger, commune of Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, Seine-maritime © UFE, Paris, 2020
Notice to specialists who wish to join the UFE
ADMISSION CONDITIONS AND APPLICATION FILE
It is necessary to contact a member, the Bureau, or the president of the UFE to review the internal regulations.
- Be of legal age and enjoy civil rights
- Agree to undergo a written and oral competency examination
- Be sponsored by at least one UFE member.
- Write a thesis in your specialty or present your publications.
It should be noted that the UFE prioritizes admissions of rights holders, descendants of artists, notoriously recognized specialists, historians of a major artist, and experts in a very specific art technique.
Contact Us
We are at your service
For any expertise request or information, please contact the Bureau of the Union Française des Experts en objets d’art: contact@ufe-experts.fr