Catalogue raisonné

The process of creating and updating the catalogue is normally based on the research and investigation of art historians and experts and can take many years to complete.

[10] A team of 25 professionals created the three-volume catalogue raisonné of American painter Robert Motherwell over the course of 11 years led by the Dedalus Foundation and published by Yale University Press in 2012.

[11][12] Once a catalogue raisonné has been created, the producers continues to meet periodically as new works are discovered or submitted to them for their consideration.

[4] For most submissions, the works are ordinarily submitted to the producers alongside historic photographs, exhibition catalogues, dealer's records, and other archival documentation to evidence the prominence of an artwork.

Producers are free to define their policies for inclusion and may include works in the catalogue raisonné based on their own educated opinions and professional experience.

[16] In the case of deceased artists, the producer of a catalogue raisonné may have considerable power to determine whether a particular work is regarded as authentic or not.

Inclusion has been called the difference between "great wealth and the gutter",[16] and auction houses sometimes refuse to handle unlisted works.

The Wildenstein Institute, for example, had a policy stating "Whatever the committee's recommendation, the work will be returned upon presentation of the consignment receipt".

"[20][21] The reality of more than one body creating competing catalogue raisonné can sometimes lead to rivalries that can led to anomalous listings.