Founded in 1974, the UFE brings together the finest specialists in their respective fields. Enthusiasm and expertise are matched by a commitment to excellence. The UFE has had over 500 experts who have served throughout its 45 years of existence since its foundation.
About
the UFE
THE UFE, PAST AND PRESENT
The world of expertise is in itself a reference universe that is increasingly indispensable to all actors in the artistic field. Confronted with sophisticated counterfeiting practices, it evolves with the times, combining modernization with tradition and maintaining this balance. The knowledge of our experts juggles between past and future, between archives and analytical laboratories… to best serve the expectations of the market. The professional chamber reinforces their authority and solidifies it. It is the duty of the UFE as a professional chamber to support its experts whose mission is to thwart weaknesses and encourage efforts in collecting, exchanging, and disseminating antiquities and works of art among enthusiasts, art market actors, and institutions.
Admissions Committee of June 29, 2021, Musée Henner Paris © UFE, Paris 2021
This excerpt from the UFE statutes demonstrates this:
- the gathering within its ranks, through admission under strict conditions, of highly qualified and competent specialists in antiquities and art objects;
- the study and defense of the moral and economic interests of the profession of experts in antiquities and art objects (Article 2). […]
Les objectifs
THE OBJECTIVES OF THE UNION FRANÇAISE DES EXPERTS
- To represent the profession before public authorities and public or private administrations,
- To represent or assist members in the settlement of all disputes that may arise in the performance of their professional duties, by establishing study and arbitration committees where appropriate,
- To maintain strict and scrupulous observance of professional and ethical rules,
- To present to the courts arbitrators and specialized experts,
- To assist members in the performance of their duties by providing them with all useful information,
- To create and maintain among members collegial relations,
- To promote contracts or agreements with any other professional chamber or association, particularly at the European level (Article 3 of the Statutes).
Setting up the admissions committee of June 2021 © UFE, Paris 2021
DÉONTOLOGIE
Membership in the professional chamber of the Union Française des Experts en objets d'art requires its members to comply with strict rules set forth in the Statutes and Internal Regulations.
Being a member of the UFE allows one to claim this affiliation, thereby proving that expertise, integrity, and professionalism have been evaluated and recognized by peers.
The same dedicated passion drives UFE members, with the requisite modesty and continuous updating of knowledge, attentive to both the science and ethics of their practice.
As Article 6 of the Statutes states, any person admitted to the UFE undertakes to comply with the Statutes and Internal Regulations (...), to fulfill their duties with sincerity, impartiality, good faith, competence, and integrity, (...) to perform the duties of the profession with the strictest impartiality. Furthermore, ...the expert is bound by professional secrecy (Article 226-13 of the Penal Code). The expert always maintains complete independence and gives their opinion in all conscience, without concern for the assessment that may be made of their report. (...).
Micro-sampling performed by a scientific analyst on the left lateral edge of a painting by Foujita to analyze the chemical and physical composition of its pictorial layer, Paris © UFE, Paris 2020
The Chana Orloff Studio-Museum, Villa Seurat, Paris 14th arrondissement, is the headquarters of the UFE – Guided tours of this magical place are available by reservation. www.chana-orloff.org
© courtesy Eric Justman-Orloff, Paris
Un lieu historique pour l’UFE
THE UFE AT MONTSOURIS
The UFE now has the privilege of holding its Assemblies, Councils, and Committees within the studios of Chana Orloff, Villa Seurat, near Parc Montsouris.
The history of Villa Seurat began in 1924 when Jean Lurçat, a renowned painter known for having renewed the art of tapestry in France, and his brother André, a young architect, conceived the project of creating an artists’ colony. Together they chose a site in southern Paris where an apple warehouse stood and had convinced Jean’s artist friends to come and settle in the area. Jean was so persuasive that Robert Couturier, Marcel Gromaire, Édouard Goerg, and Chana Orloff, among others, decided to build their homes and studios there.
Later, the cul-de-sac welcomed other important artists such as Dali, Jean Vilar, Mario Prassinos, Chaïm Soutine, Anaïs Nin, and Henry Miller, who wrote his “Tropic of Cancer” there in 1936. André Lurçat would build eight houses in this cul-de-sac, beginning with Jean’s in 1924.
Chana Orloff, however, asked Auguste Perret, whose portrait she had painted in 1923, to design hers in 1926. It had to be functional, suited to her private and professional life, and, above all, to her work—a workspace that would emphasize volume and light. The result was successful; it is today magnificently preserved and curated by her descendants and experts.
Tours are provided by the artist’s expert Eric Justman-Orloff [info@chana-orloff.org] by appointment.
Course taught by our UFE colleagues in the Galerie Médicis at the Louvre Museum for students aspiring to an expert position, Paris 2019 © UFE, Paris 2020
Un futur en développement
THE UFE EXPERT TRAINING PROGRAM
To familiarize students, academics from art schools, recent graduates from artistic programs, or those enrolled in other fields such as law or business who wish to pursue a career as experts, the UFE offers to support them through a training and mentorship program tailored to the expert function, lasting a minimum of one year.
The program includes:
- qualifying internships with UFE members,
- participation in symposia—between September and June—comprising lectures and discussions on general or more specialized topics in the practice of expertise, all led by professionals,
- the preparation, under the guidance of a supervising expert, of an illustrated digital thesis—static or video—on a chosen topic within the targeted specialty.
Upon completion of the program and defense of the thesis before a panel of distinguished professionals, a UFE Expert Preview Label (UEPL) is awarded to the student, thereby providing additional credentials both for joining the UFE under favorable conditions and for positioning themselves within the art world and art market in general.
Application forms may be requested from the UFE Office by sending a well-motivated message to contact@ufe-experts.fr.
Contact Us
Nous sommes à votre écoute
For any appraisal request or information, please contact the Office of the Union Française des Experts en objets d’art.
- President: Sylvie Buisson
- Vice President: Christophe Hameline
- Secretary General and Treasurer: Hervé Labrid