What is the role of a catalog raisonné in establishing attribution and how might its absence affect a sale?

• A. The catalog raisonné provides scholarly attribution; absence may increase risk and require additional expert opinions; affects valuation and buyer confidence
• B. It lists the purchase price
• C. It stores donor records
• D. It has no effect on attribution

Answer: (A)

A catalog raisonné acts as the authoritative scholarly reference for an artist’s body of work, compiling authenticated pieces, provenance, exhibition history, and scholarly notes. It provides a vetted baseline that helps establish attribution by clearly distinguishing genuine works from misattributions or forgeries and by documenting the evidence behind each listed work. When a catalog raisonné is absent, attribution becomes riskier in a sale. Buyers and dealers must seek extra expert opinions, provenance checks, and independent authentication, which can be time-consuming and costly. This higher risk can dampen buyer confidence and lead to a lower valuation or a slower sale, as the market relies on that trusted, centralized reference to confirm authenticity. The other options don’t address attribution: a catalog raisonné isn’t a price list, it doesn’t store donor records, and its absence does matter for attribution.