Art galleries Mallorca and Andalusia

Buying in a gallery means acquiring the work with an invoice in the buyer's name, a signed certificate of authenticity and a full technical sheet, with the price including a gallery commission shared with the artist under their agreement.

The three risks to a work of art in a Mediterranean home are ultraviolet light, humidity swings and salt air, and they are managed by controlling where the piece hangs, keeping relative humidity between forty five and sixty per cent, and using protective glazing.

A valid certificate of authenticity identifies the work precisely, stating author, title, year, medium, dimensions and edition numbering where applicable, and carries the signature of whoever issues it, whether the artist, their legal representative or a recognised body.

A gallery sells at a set price and over time, protecting the valuation of the work, while an auction discovers the price in a public event and is faster but more volatile, with results that can land well above or well below expectation.

The price of a work by a living artist is built from the size and medium, the artist's exhibition and collection record, and above all the history of prices actually achieved, which is what the market treats as evidence.

The fraction written on the margin of a print gives the number of that impression and the total size of the edition, so 12 of 50 means the twelfth impression of an edition of fifty, and the smaller the edition the higher the value per impression.