IFAR was established in 1969 to fill a need for an impartial and scholarly body to educate the public about problems and issues in the art world and to research the attribution and authenticity of works of art. In the 1970's, IFAR's purview expanded to include art theft and looting, and art and cultural property law and ethics. IFAR serves a broad audience and operates at the intersection where the interests of art law, art collectors, museums, galleries, scholars, and the public meet. Among other goals, it works to prevent the circulation of forged, misattributed, or misappropriated art. IFAR has earned a reputation for objectivity, scholarship, and independence, and its assistance is sought world-wide by law enforcement and government agencies, collectors, educational institutions, researchers, journalists, and the vast public interested in the visual arts, who often have no where else to turn. IFAR is headquartered in New York and its public programs are also in New York

IFAR carries out its mission through several important activities:

Art Authentication Research Service: Since its inception, IFAR's Authentication Research Service -- unique in the U.S. -- has objectively researched art works whose authenticity or authorship were in question. Because IFAR's experts and researchers are held harmless from litigation and have no financial interest in the outcome, they are free to render objective opinions. IFAR is also free to publish its research in the IFAR Journal. In this way, IFAR can inform the public and scholars about issues relating to authenticity and help prevent the trafficking of forged or misattributed art.

IFAR Journal: By means of its quarterly Journal, which replaced its newsletter IFARreports in 1998, IFAR keeps a broad public and membership base in 19 countries informed of relevant issues in the art world. The Journal provides a lively forum for discussion and features scholarly and legal articles, book reviews, and newsbriefs on topics related to IFAR's mission. A key section is the "Stolen Art Alert (TM)," published with the help of the Art Loss Register (ALR) and Interpol. This Alert highlights works of art stolen from around-the-world and registered with the ALR and Interpol via Scotland Yard, local police, insurance companies, museums, galleries, and private individuals.

Art Theft Database: In the mid 1970's, when a rash of thefts consumed the art world, IFAR created the first international archive of stolen art available to the public and became a world-leader on this issue. In 1991, IFAR helped create the Art Loss Register (ALR) as a commercial enterprise to expand and market the database. IFAR managed ALR's U.S. operations through 1997. In 1998 the ALR assumed full responsibility for the database although IFAR retains ownership. IFAR remains actively involved in the legal, ethical, and educational issues surrounding the ownership and theft of art, and works closely with the ALR to prepare the "Stolen Art Alert" section of the IFAR Journal.

Programs & Events: Through an active program of lectures, panels, symposia, tours, and informal "IFAR Evenings," IFAR informs and educates its supporters, subscribers, and the public about recent scholarship and relevant issues in the art world. IFAR's stature and credibility attract prominent speakers who address a broad range of subjects.

Participation in International Symposia / Discussions: Because of its world-wide reputation, IFAR is frequently called upon to participate in policy debates and public programs on a variety of issues. In this way, IFAR maintains a visible presence and plays a leadership role in important art issues. IFAR participated in a roundtable organized by the U.S. State Department to help formulate U.S. policy toward the restitution of Holocaust era looted art, a subject in which IFAR has played a pioneering role. IFAR has also played an active role in the Iraq Museum art looting crisis, and was part of the U.S. delegation to the emergency Interpol conference in May 2003. Over the years, IFAR has collaborated with many organizations to achieve its goals, including: The Kress Foundation, the National Academy, Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Decorative Arts, the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the American Association of Museums, the College Art Association, N.Y.U.,The Council of Artists Foundations, and the Art Loss Register.

IFAR Board of Directors:	IFAR's Staff:
Jack A. Josephson is Chairman of IFAR's Board of Directors. Mr. Josephson is an Egyptologist and former Chairman of the Cultural Property Advisory Commission established by the President of the United States. David M. Campbell David L. Dalva II Gertrude deg. Wilmers Lee MacCormick Edwards Theodore H. Feder Robert C. Graham, Jr. Jack A. Josephson Martha S. Joukowsky Theodore N. Kaplan Virgilia Pancoast Klein Aaron M. Milrad David Nash Leon B. Polsky John Richardson Samuel Sachs II	Dr. Sharon Flescher is Executive Director of IFAR, and Editor-In-Chief of the IFAR Journal. Kathleen Ferguson is Assistant to the Executive Director of IFAR, and Editor of the IFAR Journal.
IFAR's Art Advisory Council:	IFAR's Law Advisory Council:
Vivian Barnett Arthur C. Beale Miklos Boskovits Dietrich von Bothmer Jonathan Brown Margaret Holben Ellis Linda S. Ferber William H. Gerdts Marco Grassi E. Haverkamp-Begemann Michael Heidelberg David G. Mitten Kenneth Moser Priscilla E. Muller Linda Nochlin Konrad J. Oberhuber Theodore Reff David Rosand Willibald Sauerländer Robert Schmit Craig Hugh Smyth Theodore E. Stebbins Jr. Joyce Hill Stoner Robert Storr Harrie Vanderstappen John Walsh Christopher J. White	Franklin Feldman is the Chairman of IFAR's Law Advisory Council. Mr. Feldman is co-author of Art Law: Rights and Liabilities of Creators and Collectors; and a retired partner of Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP. Jan M. Boll W.R.I. Crewdson Franklin Feldman Herbert Hirsch Barbara Hoffman Theodore N. Kaplan John Koegel John Henry Merryman Aaron M. Milrad Hanno D. Mott James A.R. Nafziger Leon B. Polsky Daniel Shapiro Peter R. Stern