— The “pre-purchase service” of the Cercle Guimard —
We are regularly asked to identify an object that its owner thinks is from Guimard. Often, he/she has bought it — sometimes at a high price — for such and he/she is expecting from us more a confirmation than for a verdict to the contrary. When the knowledge we may have of Hector Guimard’s work and/or the object in question obliges us to deny any filiation with Guimard, our correspondent’s reactions are not always philosophical, especially if a resale in the short term was considered. In order not to have to repeat our arguments and to inform the public tempted by a purchase with a too flattering notice, we publish from time to time our feelings on such or such object.
None of us has any vested interest in the various branches of the art market. Therefore, we do not care about the notices previously written by the experts of the different auction houses: our opinion is our own and we will not hesitate to modify it according to the historical elements that may arise in the future.
