Art Consultation

The seasoned experience that Jacob Fine Art (JFAi) has in the art world assures that our clients will receive RELIABLE INFORMATION, backed by rigorous research, that is needed to make INFORMED DECISIONS regarding art collections.  We accomplish this by developing a strategy that gathers a variety of expert resources, distills pertinent information, assesses the impacts on value, and delivers customized solutions specific to each client.  We believe the key to successful collecting is having the right information and the most knowledgeable resources. 

CONSULTATION projects are broad-ranging and tailored to the scope of work, expectation, and budget of the client and may include general concerns or legal matters. Our team serves auction houses, museums, private collectors, banks, insurance companies, and law firms in this capacity. In addition, JFAi offers a range of consultation services directed at helping to build, research and maintain art collections.

 JACOB FINE ART DOES NOT BUY OR CARRY INVENTORY OF WORKS OF ART 

Provenance Research and Authentication Facilitation

For more than 20 years, Jacob Fine Art has provided research for PROVENANCE (chain of ownership) as the first step in establishing authenticity or title.  We do not authenticate works of art;  rather, JFAi's  team of international researchers offers RESEARCH SERVICES in tandem with RECOGNIZED SCHOLARS AND AUTHORITIES on individual artists, artist foundations, institutions, conservators, and forensic scientists.  Our accurately sourced reports are based on reliable primary, secondary and tertiary source materials.  Project scope and timeline are determined by individual circumstances.

Our clients include art dealers and auction houses, institutions, museums, archives,  legal and government entities, private collectors, and other art authorities. 

•JFAi facilitated the authentication of a lost painting by Frida Kahlo (Mexican, 1907-1954).

Archival Valuation

Since the company’s founding in 2000, JFAi continues to provide ART VALUATIONS (appraisals) of the highest caliber in the profession. Our archival reports are tailored to client needs, intended use, time frame and budget, and are compliant with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP). 

There are many purposes for a valuation, including:

• Charitable Contribution, which establishes the value of objects donated to qualified organizations in order to establish an income tax deduction

• Estates, which establishes the value of objects connected to the preparation of estate tax returns; or to administer asset distribution in estate planning

• Gift Tax, which establishes the value of objects transferred through a charitable donation to a qualified organization or a non-charitable gift to a family member as of a specific date to establish a transfer tax

• Insurance, which establishes the value of objects in classifying appropriate insurance coverage; or Damage and Loss, which establishes the hypothetical value of objects included in a loss or damage event

• Equitable Distribution of Property, which establishes the value of objects for distributions of jointly owned property

• Financial, which establishes the value of objects for asset management, collateral loans and related financial and legal matters

• Market Related or Informational, which establishes the value of objects for potential sales, purchases, or personal knowledge

Valuation Report Review

Jacob Fine Art performs APPRAISAL REVIEWS, in which the completeness and accuracy of another valuer’s report is analyzed. These services are provided for private clients, as well as insurance companies, banks and legal entities.

Expert Consultation and Witness Testimony

The Jacob Fine Art team serves as LITIGATION CONSULTANTS in preparation for trial strategy and expert witness for court proceedings.  Duties have included depositions, pre-trial, and trial appearances.  Jane C.H. Jacob has been enlisted as an expert witness in various cases of litigation relating to the Visual Artist Rights Act (VARA), fraud, title dispute, stolen art, and damage to fine art objects and loss in value. 

Fine Art Photography

JFAi offers PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY for valuation, archival, documentation, publication, and portfolio purposes, as well as infrared technologies for research and authentication. We provide detailed documentation of works of art for collectors and institutions in a cost-effective manner. We shape each project to meet the needs of the individual collection, from simple inventories to published catalogues.

Curatorial Services

JFAi brings more than 25 years of CURATORIAL EXPERIENCE to mounting new displays and exhibitions. Our understanding of spatial composition and planning, museum gallery lighting, wall labels and text, art handling and installation enable our art handlers to install collections organized within an art historical context or by an aesthetic principle

Lectures and FORUMS

JFAi and its associated company Art Vérité LLC, regularly contribute to EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS in venues such as: New York University and the School of Law;  University of Chicago; EXPO Chicago; New York County Bar Association;  Art Litigation and Resolution Institute, SUNY Levin Institute; Arts Club Chicago; New York Athletic Club; College Art Association; The Armory Show; Art Institute of Chicago; Smart Museum of Art; AXA Fine Art Insurance Corporation; Chubb Group of Insurance Companies; and valuation conferences, among others.

As part of the 2018 and 2019 EXPO CHICAGO International Art Fair programs, Jacob and Art Vérité partnered to present the Professionals Forum.  The first of its kind presented in the United States, in the context of a fair, the Forum provides professional and preventative specialist knowledge and skills as it relates to acquiring, managing, protecting, lending, and selling contemporary art.  The Forum addresses challenges in this art world through the lense of art and the law.