WHAT IS AN EXPERT ?

The expert role

The expert’s role is to estimate and authenticate works of art and collection pieces.

Estimate,or give a financial value according to the art market. 

Authenticate, is to recognize or confirm the author of an art piece, according to certain stylistic, technical, scientific, and historical elements. 

The authentication role is most important for artist’s annoted catalogues. The expert works with the copyright owners and other specialists. It is also important for auction sales, where a certified attribution is necessary.. 

A double role not only the expert’s qualities are necessary, moreover his experience, his competence and knowledge is essential. The eye must be trained by studying different paintings, styles, to acquire the best judgment on the author and on the value of the pieces. The expert must therefore be specialized in different domains. .

The expert can intervene for different partners: , auctioneers, who are not specialized and organize different types of auction sales. They all work together with specialized experts. The also intervene for customs, insurance companies – in order to assess the value of a piece before insuring it, or after damage claims.

An owner can also require the expert’s services to value a good or a collection, or even during an inheritance.

Dominique STAL has been an expert for insurance companies for over 25 years. He is specialized in Modern and contemporary art, and also works for auctioneers.
After studying Art History at the Ecole du Louvre and at ICART, he also studied law (procedures law) at the Amiens University.

Dominique STAL organizes four Modern and contemporary art auction sale per year, for different auctioneers in Paris and the rest of France.. 
These sales have about 250 pieces, paintings and sculptures, documented by a catalogue.. 
The work before hand is quite important. Indeed , contact with sellers, artists, discovering different works of art in art fairs, in Paris and the rest of France are some of the necessary steps for a sale. Moreover, art pieces must be chosen in order to present a coherent ensemble, authenticate and estimate the different pieces to the auctioneers. 

With his long experience, his knowledge of the art market, and of the difficulties artists face, Dominique STAL tries to help these artists as much as possible.  

He also wrote a book “15 ans de peinture contemporaine vue par Dominique Stal dans l’oeuvre de 61 peintres, 1985-2000” publishing company Maison Neuve et la Rose, sold at the FNAC.