As the Philippine economy has boomed, so has the price for visual art works. The image above is one of the iconic works of National Artist Bencab and is published in his book “Bencab”, but unfortunately, the images in art books, of which there are many with various artists as subjects, have become the source of art forgers.

In the November 29, 2015 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Cathy Cañares-Yamsuan wrote that an art connoisseur has seen three fake paintings by the same master artist in one month. The interesting question is how do these art forgers do it? It seems that beautifully printed coffee-table books containing important works by Philippine artists including the iconic image above have become the targets of forgers to produce fakes and pass them off as original.

What then can our artists and art collectors do to protect themselves?

While artistic works are automatically protected by law upon their creation, it is equally important that they are properly documented. A recordal of artworks in the Philippines National Library or the Intellectual Property Office establishes proof of authenticity for both the artists and art collectors.

The pursuit of collecting art includes the responsibility on the part of the buyer to have discerning eyes for the fakes. An art book is not entirely reliable in establishing authenticity, but a certificate of registration from the government does.

It is time that Philippine artists assert their copyright and art collectors demand more from art galleries than just relying on those glossy coffee-table books because art forgers are becoming bolder.