For more than 50 years, IFAR’s resources on provenance, catalogues raisonnés, and authentication have been utilized by colleagues working in museums, academia, and across the art market. We are increasingly approached by individuals interested in developing skills in provenance research and establishing themselves in this rapidly evolving field. IFAR is pleased to offer an introductory, practical training course in provenance research aimed at both advanced students and professionals.
In this live-taught, seven-session online course, participants will learn how to investigate, develop, and interpret provenance narratives for artworks from antiquity to the present. Topics include:
Tools to build object histories
Nazi-Era claims and restitution
Due diligence and compliance
Cultural heritage issues
Red flags for antiquities
How to spot fakes and forged documentation
All participants will complete their own sample provenance history for an assigned work of art and will receive a certificate confirming their completion of the course.
Instructors:
Dr. Lisa Duffy-Zeballos
Director of Art Research, IFAR
Dr. Theresa Kutasz Christensen
Independent Art Research Consultant
Agenda:
Class sessions are Tuesdays and Thursdays from May 6 - 27, 2025 from 3:00-5:00pm Eastern Time.
May 6, Class 1: Provenance Research -- Getting Started
May 8, Class 2: Researching and Verifying Provenance: Digital Resources, Fakes, Fables & Facts
May 13, Class 3: Nazi-Era Provenance Research Day 1: Looting, Forced and Coerced Sales, International Agreements for Nazi-Era Documentation
May 15, Class 4: Nazi-Era Provenance Research Day 2: Archives, Databases, Research Challenges, and Restitution
May 20, Class 5: Cultural Heritage Day 1: Antiquities and Archaeological Materials, UNESCO, Global Projects for Tracking Looted Art
May 22, Class 6: Cultural Heritage Day 2: Global Cultural Heritage and Research
May 27, Class 7: Provenance in Practice: Practical Applications of Provenance Research and Presentation of Case Studies
Previous participants write:
"I learned so much about various areas of provenance research, how to get started, what resources are available, and where to go to learn more."
"The knowledge I gained is too much to describe here -- so many resources! The course will help me deepen and expand my research skills."
"I learned something new every class. Whether it be a new database or a new case study, every class session was fresh and exciting."
"The instructors were very knowledgeable and clearly experts in their fields."
"A Perfect 10."
;'%3e%3c/path%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/svg%3e)