With the integrity of the Alberses’ collective legacies at heart, we support collectors in the acquisition and authentication of works attributed to the artists.
It is extremely important to the Albers Foundation that works represented as being by either Josef or Anni Albers are authentic. Since the early 1970s, numerous Homage to the Square forgeries have appeared on the market. Many of these works have been featured in notable exhibitions, catalogues, and publications alongside genuine artworks by Josef Albers. Frequently, forged paintings are presented for sale with what seem to be unassailable histories of ownership, albeit histories which on closer study are proven to be themselves falsified and having no connection to the artist or the Albers Foundation. More recently, forged works attributed to Anni Albers have emerged. Given these unfortunate incidents, it is essential that collectors, art galleries, and auction houses considering the sale or purchase of works attributed to the Alberses contact the Albers Foundation to confirm the authenticity of the work under consideration. We will make arrangements to view the artworks as expediently as practicable.
The Albers Foundation works with two excellent art galleries which we have chosen to represent the estates of both Josef and Anni Albers when we elect to sell works by either artist. The primary representative is the David Zwirner Gallery which is based in New York with additional spaces in London, Paris, Hong Kong and Los Angeles. For prints by Josef and Anni, our representative is the Cristea Roberts Gallery in London.
info@albersfoundation.org
Gallery Representation
Most of the Foundation’s collection of work by Josef and Anni Albers is inviolable and will never be sold. However, the Foundation does sell a small, selected group of paintings and prints through its authorized representatives.
David Zwirner
David Zwirner Gallery is our exclusive representative for everything other than prints. On no occasion do we offer work directly for sale from the Foundation. David Zwirner has represented the Foundation since 2017, and has mounted wonderful exhibitions in its New York, London, Paris, and Hong Kong galleries.
Cristea Roberts Gallery
Cristea Roberts Gallery in London is the Foundation’s authorized representative for the sale of prints by Anni and Josef Albers. They periodically mount exhibitions of work by both artists.
Catalogue Raisonné Reviews
The catalogue raisonné review committee of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation meets several times each year at the Foundation’s offices in Bethany, Connecticut.
The committee considers all works believed to have been made by Josef or Anni Albers. Objects must be submitted by the owner, or by a person duly authorized by the owner. Please contact the Foundation for more information about how and when to submit a work for review.
info@albersfoundation.org
Following the committee's review, the Foundation will notify the owner whether the work submitted will be included in the respective catalogue raisonné, or whether additional study is needed.
Owners of paintings by Josef Albers, and those who wish to buy or sell such works, are urged to exercise particular care to make certain that the objects in question were in fact made by the artist. In recent years, a number of Homage to the Square forgeries have appeared on the market.