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Searching

Before you consider purchasing a work of art, check to see whether it is listed as lost or stolen on the Art Loss Register.

Benefits of searching

Increasingly, the value of any valuable possession depends on the ability to demonstrate clear title and evidence of its undisputed ownership since creation. The high incidence of international art theft is continuing testament to the fact that many stolen works of art are traded every year.

The benefits of searching the ALR database are two fold:

To the purchaser, a search minimises the chance of acquiring a work of art, which had been previously stolen. Alternatively there may be some question concerning its previous history of ownership, which could have a substantial impact on its future price and marketability.

To the art dealer, a search not only minimises the chance of acquiring a stolen work, but also acts as a significant deterrent to being approached with stolen art.

Given the range of product and the complexities of an international market, all search requests require detailed professional investigation and are carried out by ALR qualified art historians.

The process starts with your completion of the attached on line form and wherever possible the attachment of a clear photographic image. A comparison with stolen items on the database will then be carried out. Once these procedures have been completed, you will be emailed an ALR search certificate, which confirms that at the date that the search was made the item, had not been registered as stolen.

Prior to the production of the search certificate, it will be necessary for you to settle the ALR search fee. This can either be done on the basis of an annual subscription (£300, $615 or €435 ) for 30 searches or on the basis of each search carried out and paid, through the site by any of the major credit cards. Fees for single search requests are £25, $50 or €35, plus where applicable VAT.

The ALR’s services are provided by trained art experts.