Buying and selling high-end art is a hardball game. In a transaction, the legitimacy issue always emerges front and center. It often surprises people to find out that authentication of art works is ultimately based upon opinions of experts. I’ve been involved in this world and known many of these experts for years. The in-depth knowledge I’ve gained and the professional relationships I’ve cultivated, combined with my legal skills and experience, enable me to deliver stellar client service with great efficiency and value.
With decades of hands-on experience and a highly regarded reputation in art law, Ronald “Ron” Spencer focuses his practice on the legal aspects of art authentication and advising buyers, sellers, and owners on due diligence with respect to provenance and attribution of works of art. Ron’s clients include individuals, nonprofits, and foundations. He enjoys the challenge of helping these people and organizations achieve their goals and advance their agendas while adhering to the many rules that regulate their activities.
Ron has helped several authentication committees and boards of experts successfully defend against claims involving their decisions on authenticity, and he has advised collectors on the authenticity of their works of art. He also helped establish numerous art foundations and serves as the current CEO of the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, which grants $3 million annually to visual artists.
As the founder and chair of The Fund for Park Avenue, Ron spearheads an annual effort to raise about $750,000 to beautify that iconic street by placing sculptures on it and planting and maintaining trees and flowers, including more than 100,000 tulips each spring. The organization, which he created in 1980, also manages the annual Park Avenue tree lighting. Ron believes his ability to not just analyze but also to operate and “get things done” helps make him a better lawyer and enhances his ability to serve clients.
A respected authority in the art world, Ron is the editor of Spencer’s Art Law Journal and the author of The Expert Versus the Object: Judging Fakes and False Attributions in the Visual Arts, published by Oxford University Press.