Art Authenticators Research Paper

In order to become an art authenticator, a master’s degree in conservation or a closely related field is required. In addition, most employers expect a substantial amount of work experience. An inexperienced scientist making a mistake in art authentication has the ability to put a company out of business or cause a lawsuit against a museum. Besides the training received in most art classes, there are additional traits an art authenticator must have. First, art authenticators must learn how to operate the lab equipment. As mentioned above, a few of the machines might include a spectrophotometer, the machines that preform the polarized light microscopy, the Raman spectroscopy, the infrared spectroscopy, and the scanning electron microscope. They …show more content…
Some older pieces of artwork are health hazards. These hazards can include artwork created with lead paint or have come from an area that is a health hazard in general. They must be aware of the hazards and follow proper safety protocol to ensure the safety of all the staff involved. Furthermore, they must abide by government regulations to ensure the legal acquisition and handling of the pieces. Finally, art authenticators must learn good analytical and critical thinking skills, must be a meticulous worker, must have adequate writing and communication skills, and must be proficient at documentation and creating databases. Being able to properly analyze and solve problems is essential in art authentication because if not properly analyzed, forgeries can pass as originals and can create lawsuits against the authenticators. They must be able to be very careful and organized while they work to prevent mistakes and they must be able to communicate clearly their findings in an organized and easy to follow manner. This creates less confusion when cross checking findings with other