International Foundation For Art Research Inc

Educational programs, lectures and conferencessince the early 1980s, ifar has offered ifar evenings - a series of lectures and panels featuring distinguished speakers on topics related to ifar's areas of interest and other current issues in the art world. Many are videotaped and are made available on our website. In addition, as noted above and when possible, we publish the edited proceedings of the programs in the ifar journal. The ifar evenings are open to the public with a modest charge and are free to donors above a certain level. The new executive director is launching a new initiative beginning in 2024 called ifar education, comprising fee-based online courses on provenance, fakes and forgeries, and ethical and informed art collecting.

Website initiativesifar offers three major educational resources on its website: the art law & cultural property database, the catalogues raisonns database, and the provenance guide. The two databases, launched in 2008, are continuously updated. The art law & cultural property database is a compendium of case law and international cultural property legislation dealing with international and domestic legislation and legal claims relating to art ownership & export, restitution, repatriation, and authenticity of art objects. The art law database is currently a subscription-based service, though users can also access it for 2- or 4-hour segments at a modest fee. The catalogues raisonns database has always been free. The provenance guide is a primer on how to do provenance research, particularly important in this era when museums and the art collecting public are held to a high ethical standard regarding the acquisition and exhibiting of art works.

Ifar journalthe ifar journal is a publication that focuses on issues relating to art attribution/ authentication; art theft, looting and restitution; provenance; catalogues raisonns; and other scholarly, legal, and ethical issues concerning art objects. Feature articles include the edited proceedings of ifar public programs. Published since 1998, when it replaced ifar's prior publication, the journal is a resource for museums, art professionals, collectors, academics, and the broader public. Each issue contains the "stolen art alert" section, published by ifar since 1977. Featuring images of stolen and recently recovered art objects, the stolen art alert has been responsible for the recovery of millions of dollars of art objects over the years. In 2024, the organization made the decision to cease publication of the ifar journal.