Speaking at today’s TEFAF Talk called Taming the Beast: Professionalising the Art World, he said: “The UK could take the lead internationally. We need a publication of standards, and mandate a certain level of training. When there are near-misses it should be reported, anonymised and circulated so others can learn from it.”
Radcliffe said the industry should take the lead.
He criticised the existing associations in the art world and said they have conflicts of interest because they represent their members and try to regulate them.
Also on the panel of speakers, art consultant Sara Pearce warned: “We should police ourselves, otherwise outsiders will who do not understand the subtleties of the art market.”
Pearce argued that things had improved with more accessible data and new laws coming into effect, but that there is “still room for improvement”.
Radcliffe warned that if standards do not improve further the art market will “lose the ability to influence government”.
The event was the first of this year’s TEFAF Talk series. The TEFAF Maastricht fair runs from March 10-18.
