Buyer's guarantees

The seller guarantees that the work is indeed by the artist, workshop or period announced. If it proves inauthentic within five years, the buyer may obtain cancellation of the sale and reimbursement of the price, provided they return the work in the condition in which they received it.

The guarantee does not cover attributions with clearly stated reservations, nor cases where the state of knowledge at the time of the sale did not allow the defect to be detected. When the seller is approved, it is backed by an OIMAP certificate.

The conformity guarantee ensures that the work matches its description: dimensions, technique, date, condition. A significant discrepancy gives the right to a price reduction or cancellation. Slight colour differences due to photography or the screen are not defects.

The provenance guarantee ensures that the seller has told the buyer everything they knew about the history of the work, including any disputes. If a claim proves well founded, the buyer is compensated, subject to their own diligence.

Some operators take out insurance covering the authenticity risk. In the event of a proven fake, the insurer reimburses the buyer, then claims against the author of the fake. This arrangement, increasingly common among approved auction houses, speeds up the settlement of disputes.

Buyers can also take out title insurance themselves, which protects them against a later claim on the work. It is useful mainly for high-value works with complex provenance.