Artist Archives and Legacies: Law, Market, and Authenticity Debated at Milan Conference

A conference titled 'Archivi d’artista e lasciti: memorie culturali tra diritto e mercato' took place on November 28–29, 2016, at the University of Milano-Bicocca, co-organized with Accademia di Brera, NABA, and AitArt. The event examined legal and market frameworks surrounding artist archives, authenticity, and moral rights. Speakers included Alessandra Donati, Jean Marc Poinsot, Anne-Sophie Nardon, Anne Laure Bandle, Pierpaolo Forte, and others. Key topics included the legal status of certificates of authenticity, the role of archives in conceptual art (e.g., Christo, Richard Long, Sol LeWitt, Daniel Buren), and the French Court of Cassation's ruling on expert liability in the Jean Metzinger case. Discussions highlighted the lack of comprehensive regulation for authenticity in contemporary art, the transfer of moral rights to family rather than heirs under Italian law, and the need for artists to designate competent managers. Archives such as ASAC (Biennale di Venezia), GNAM, MART, Archivio Giulio Paolini, Comité Marc Chagall, Fondazione Pablo Picasso, and Luciano Fabro archive presented practices. The market's growing interest in artist estates was noted, with examples like the collaboration between Fondazione Piero Manzoni and Gagosian Gallery (2008–2014). The conference concluded that while the market has self-regulated, legal harmonization is urgently needed.