Authentication in Art Congress, May 2014

Authentication in Art Congress, May 2014

The following transcription is the literal written representation of Javier Lumbreras’ opening speech during the Authentication in Art Congress in May 2014 as a keynote speaker on the following lecture ‘Facing the Sea Change: The Pivotal Role of the Congress in Aiding the Art Industry’

Good morning everyone, distinguished guests, and organizers. Although the AIA[1] is not my area of expertise, I have to deal with authentication issues almost every day in my field.[2] What is my area of expertise? I like to think art is. Artistic creation and collecting go hand-in-hand. One could not exist without the other. But[3] what is art? This morning I was waking up and I was looking[4] at a very interesting video that was posted on the Artemundi Global Fund Facebook page. […][5] The director of this 30-minute movie went through different art fairs around the world and he started asking collectors, dealers and artists alike “what is art?”. You would be amazed by the faces that people made when they were asked such a question. “What is art?” and some people go, “Uh-huh. Whoa, that’s a big question.”

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Authentication in Art Congress, May 2014

[1] Authentication in art.

[2] Few people can be said to have successfully launched a new category of capital investment. Mr. Lumbreras is one of those few who can put forth such a claim. His rich background in art and finance hails from a lineage of art collectors that started in Spain in 1883. He has served as consultant to selected private collectors, guest lecturer at museums, universities, banks and at leading media groups, and as trustee to international art institutions. Additionally, he is Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Art Fund Association, New York. With a reputation as a pioneer in the field, he is a reliable and respected speaker in matters pertaining to art collecting at large, art as an asset class, and art securitization including portfolio management and estate planning. Among other venues, Mr. Lumbreras has been a speaker at the Alternative Investment Association, the Sotheby’s Institute in London, the Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning, the Art Investment Forum, and at Deloitte’s Art & Finance conferences. Mr. Lumbreras is the author of the book The Art of Collecting Art. He is also a skilled and determined art collector in his own right. He founded The Adrastus Collection of contemporary art, the base of a national museum set in Árevalo, Spain.

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