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International Foundation for Art Research

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International Foundation for Art Research
AbbreviationIFAR
Formation1969
TypeNonprofit organization
HeadquartersNew York, NY, United States
Chairman
Jennifer Schipf
Executive Director
Lindsey Schneider
Warren Adelson | Lisa Dennison | Pierre DuPont | Christiane Fischer | Kate Ganz | David J. Nash | Samuel Sachs II | Steven P. Schwartz | Dorit D. Straus | Peter C. Sutton | Anthony Williams
Revenue (2015)
$837,964[1]
Expenses (2015)$815,220[1]
Websitewww.ifar.org

The International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR) is a non-profit organization which was established to channel and coordinate scholarly and technical information about works of art. IFAR provides an administrative and legal framework within which experts can express their objective opinions. This data is made available to individuals, associations and government agencies. In September 2024, it announced that it would be winding down operations [2]

History

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Its first president was Houston industrialist John de Ménil.[3]

Founding members of the privately funded foundation were:[3]

The first Advisory council members were:[3]

In 1989, IFAR had become "a very grand-sounding name for what is really just three smart, dedicated, underpaid women who are among the nation's leading experts on stolen and forged art." Constance Lowenthal, Margaret I. O'Brien and Virgilia H. Pancoast work in an Upper East Side office which contains 30,000 files documenting stolen art cases. The three-rooms were on the fourth floor of the Explorers Club, on East 70th Street.[4]


Development

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In response to the growth and development of IFAR, museum officials have revised some policies based on an assumption that discussing theft would scare away potential donors. The change from policies of secrecy to ones which emphasize openness was gradual, mirroring an expectation that publicizing theft is likely to promote recovery.[5]

Selected timeline

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b "International Foundation for Art Research Inc" (PDF). Foundation Center. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  2. ^ Jacobs, Harrison (27 September 2024). ""Longtime Art Authentication Nonprofit IFAR to Shut Down After 55 Years"". Retrieved 30 September 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Glueck, Grace. "Art Group Is Set Up To Judge Attribution," New York Times. May 8, 1970.
  4. ^ Winerip, Michael. "The Ultimate Marketplace; Hot on the Trail of Missing Masterpieces," New York Times. November 12, 1989.
  5. ^ a b c Yarrow, Andrew L. "A Lucrative Crime Grows Into a Costly Epidemic," New York Times. March 20, 1990.
  6. ^ a b Dobrzynski, Judith H. "For What Nazis Stole, A Longtime Art Hound," New York Times. November 29, 1997.

References

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