French bronze founders propose action against forgery

In the wake of recent scandals involving fake Giacometti and Rodin sculptures (see The Art Newspaper No.19, June 1992, p.19) the official French union of bronze founders, the Syndicat Général des Fondeurs de France, has had talks with auctioneers and art gallery representatives to discuss means of combating forgery. At a meeting in Paris on 11 June the Syndicat decided to draw up a code of conduct for its members. The main item will be the obligation to mark the date, name of founder or his stamp and the date of casting on all posthumous works. The Syndicat also envisages setting up a central register to record the date of founding, the name of the artist, the title of the work, its size and weight. A further meeting with sculptors will be held and the Syndicat plans to extend its measures to the rest of Europe.