A work is worth, first of all, what it truly is. Before anything is offered for sale, the gallery establishes that it is indeed by the hand of the artist whose name it bears, and where it comes from.
A market that calls for caution
Forgeries have long circulated on the Moroccan art market, and the greatest names, from Jilali Gharbaoui to Abbès Saladi and Chaïbia Talal, have been their first victims, as the press has documented at length. In February 2024 the public prosecutor’s office, the Ministry of Culture and the National Museums Foundation took up the issue; among the measures discussed was a system for certifying the authenticity of artworks.
In this context, the only guarantee worth having is a method, applied without exception.
Our protocol
- Physical examination. No work is offered without having been seen by the gallery, deposited at ARTWORKS or examined by appointment. The support, the reverse, the signature and the condition of the work are studied closely.
- For a living artist, authenticity is confirmed directly with the artist.
- For a deceased artist, a certificate of authenticity and provenance documents are required: invoices, ownership history, exhibition catalogues or publications where they exist.
- Without these elements, the work is not offered for sale.
The file given to the buyer
When a certificate accompanies the work, it states:
- the title or reference of the work;
- the artist’s name;
- the medium and support, where documented;
- the dimensions;
- its original character and, where relevant, the edition number;
- a photograph or reference identifying the work;
- the date of issue and the identification of Moroccan Paintings / ARTWORKS.
Our team checks that the certificate matches the work and its page. Historical information that is not documented is never added by assumption.
Why keep this file
The certificate, the invoice and the provenance documents are the memory of the work. They make it easier to identify, insure, pass on and, when the time comes, resell.
Do you own a work?
The gallery can examine it: request a valuation or consign it for sale. For the questions to ask before any purchase, read our guide: how to make sure a Moroccan artwork is authentic.