Authenticity and conservation state of art works: the market and auction houses & Presentation of the historical-technical Journal “Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage"

• Main Author: Salvatore Lorusso
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Bologna 2008-04-01
• Series: Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage
• Online Access: http://conservation-science.unibo.it/article/view/1408

The title Authenticity and conservation state of art works: The market and auction houses mirrors the particular status of confusion and instability in which the auction houses – find themselves – nowadays. It is an international situation of existential and economic crisis in which humanity appears to be excited and schizophrenic. This lecture is part of a series all dedicated to various aspects of art, with a particular focus on the great Italian artist Giorgio Morandi. A good selection of his works is currently displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Giorgio Morandi conceived art as a “practice of silence”, where his “still life” functioned as a filter to observe the world outside his small cloistered art studio. By emphasizing the importance of weight and gravity with grace and attention, this artist can therefore teach us how important it is to judge a piece of art not only subjectively – giving greatest relevance to the satisfaction of individual aesthetical standards – but also objectively – where the techniques and the materials utilized assume the greatest significance. This allows the estimator to estimate correctly their economic and financial value. The second part of the lecture consists in the presentation of the historical-technical journal Conservation Science in Cultural Heritage. It represents an emblematic gathering of experts, symbolizing therefore a necessary encounter among people with different cultural backgrounds, experiences and skills. They meet to address and discuss issues related to their common field of study, the Cultural Heritage sector. This jolts, as it can be imagined, American art critics. They often lack social criticism showing them to be too focused on aesthetics and elegance of form. The consequent question arises: is this really true?