Provenance in five questions

Provenance sounds like a word for museums and auction catalogues. It is simpler than that: the story of a work from the studio to today, told by the people and papers that were there. A short, clear story is worth more than a long, vague one.

1. Where did it start?

The first line of any provenance is the artist’s studio, or the gallery that first sold the work. If a work comes with a certificate from the artist or their gallery, that first line is already written.

2. Who has owned it since?

Each owner is a line: a collector, a company, a foundation. Names may be private, and that is normal, but the line should still exist. “Private collection, Mexico City, 2019–2025” is a perfectly good line.

3. What proves each step?

Invoices, letters, exhibition labels on the back, a photograph of the work in someone’s home. Not every step has paper; the more steps that do, the calmer everyone can be.

4. Are there gaps, and why?

A gap is not a crime. Works sit in storage, families inherit quietly, records are lost in a move. What matters is that a gap is acknowledged, not hidden, and that the story on either side of it holds.

5. Does the work match its story?

The measures, the technique, the signature and the labels on the back should agree with the papers. When they do not, ask before you fall further in love.

Keeping it going

Provenance is not only something you inherit; you write the next line. When a work with one of our certificates changes hands, the change is added to its history rather than started again, and the new owner’s name stays private unless they choose otherwise. See how a certificate carries it.

If you would like company

This is what we do every day from Mexico City: help people find, buy and live with original contemporary art, with its papers in order. Book a free 30-minute call, or look at how our certificates work.

Image: “Concha de Loco” by Darío Phillipi, oil on canvas.