| The Certificate of Authenticity (CoA) can be the physical manifestation of a conceptual artwork, and is considered crucial for its transfer within the art market. Without the CoA, there is little or no value to the artwork. The CoA is also a legal document and acts as a warranty of authenticity, but because of its perceived status, the CoA is often exploited and used in fraudulent art scams. This thesis explores the origins and evolution of the CoA, and investigates its various roles and functions and aims to understand how the CoA assumes such divergent roles. It will illustrate the significance of this document by examining the economic and market impact of CoAs, as well as the cultural and art-historical issues. This thesis will consider the validity of the CoA as an authentication tool and assess its role as a vehicle of transfer within the art market. Finally, this thesis concludes with recommendations for the artist and collector in the context of the art market today, and a discussion of how art market practices might evolve with respect to the use of the CoA. |
