1. What are the benefits of having a catalogue raisonné?
A catalogue raisonné asserts and preserves the artist’s oeuvre by documenting it. If it is appropriately drafted and compiled, it can become the foremost source of information on an artist’s oeuvre for dealers, curators, scholars and anyone who has an interest in the artist. This will inform and nurture interest in the artist and sustain the commercial desirability of their work by reducing authenticity-related risks. The catalogue raisonné can become an effective authentication tool after the artist’s death. In cases where the authenticity or date of a work is uncertain or unknown, the catalogue raisonné can serve to contextualise the work chronologically and stylistically and attribute the work to the artist. Conversely, the catalogue raisonné can serve to prevent the exploitation of the artist’s name by discrediting forgeries.