Longtime Art Authentication Nonprofit IFAR to Shut Down After 55 Years

The New York-based arts organization International Foundation for Art Research announced on Friday that it was shutting down after 55 years in operation.

The organization, founded in 1969, is a nonprofit education and research organization that provides “information on authenticity, ownership, theft, and other artistic, legal, and ethical issues concerning art objects,” according to its website. The nonprofit had published the quarterly IFAR Journal, offered research services on art authentication and provenance, hosted databases such as the Catalogue Raisonné Database and the Art Law & Cultural Property Database, and organized conferences, panels, and lectures around art authenticity and other topics.

IFAR announced that the decision to wind down operations came after a six month assessment, conducted this year, of its activities and finances.

“Since our inception in 1969, IFAR has been dedicated to advocating for the rightful ownership of cultural heritage, promoting transparency in the art market, and ensuring that works of art are recognized for their true origins and histories. Our efforts have sparked important conversations, driven meaningful change, and supported numerous initiatives that honor the integrity of artistic and cultural objects,” board chair Jennifer Schipf said in a statement. “The Board brought on a new executive director to help us chart the optimal future for IFAR, and, ultimately, her insights and analyses made it clear to us all that the best course of action is to wind down.” 

IFAR said in an email that it is currently mapping out a timeline to conclude its programmatic work and cease operations and that it is expected that this will conclude in sometime next year. Effectively immediately, the organization will no longer publish IFAR Journal or host IFAR evenings, as it works to move its archives and databases to a new organization.