Certificate of authenticity

When an artwork is sold, upon the customer’s request Bernice can provide a certificate of authenticity. But what exactly is this?

A certificate of authenticity is an official document that proves the customer that the purchased work is genuine and authentic. It is a helpful tool in proving a work’s provenance, quality, and ensures the buyer that it is produced by the artist and no one else. It’s comes in handy and proves authenticity when one tries to resell the work in the future.

How do you get certificate of authenticity?

Bernice will ask the artist to send the buyer an original and signed certificate upon purchasing his or her work of art. The certificate can be send by the artist to your home address or by email to your inbox.

Bernice never issues a certificate of authenticity, the artist does. If the artist is alive, it is the artist himself/herself who will create this document. If the artist is not living, the process is more complex, because there is no legislation that specifically determines which subjects are entitled to issue the certificate of authenticity.

As an artist you can you create your own certificate of authenticity. But it is important to note that they aren’t legally binding. Essentially, anyone can create one. There are no universal standards for certificates. This means that a lot of the time within the art-world, there can be fraudulent certificates circling. Thanks to our professional relationship with the artists in the Bernice collection, we can guarantee the issued certificates are legitimate.

More information (in Dutch) can be found on the following website:

https://www.cultuurloket.be/kennisbank/contracteren/certificaat-van-echtheid

Essential info on a certificate

• Title of the artwork
• Year
• Artist’s name & signature
• Edition
• Technique and dimensions
• Special conditions regarding conservation of the artwork