How to Choose Authentic Aboriginal Artwork

Choosing authentic Aboriginal artwork starts with knowing who painted it, where it came from and what documentation comes with it. This guide explains what to look for before you buy, whether you are collecting your first original painting or choosing a canvas print for your home.

Start with the artist

Authentic Aboriginal art is created by an Aboriginal artist. Before you buy, look for the artist’s full name and a profile you can read, including the community or language group they choose to share. A reputable seller will tell you clearly who created each work.

At KT Aboriginal Fine Art, our paintings and prints are created by Kelly Taylor and her daughters, T’keyah, Kelilah and Taliyah Ware. You can read about each of them on their artist profiles.

Kelly Taylor T’keyah Ware Kelilah Ware Taliyah Ware

Five checks before you buy

Use these checks for any Aboriginal artwork, wherever you buy it.

Identify the artist

Look for the artist’s name on the listing and a profile that tells you who they are.

Understand provenance

Ask for the artwork’s documented history: title, artist, medium, size and year created.

Check the certificate

Read the Certificate of Authenticity and make sure its details match the artwork.

Original or print?

Confirm whether you are buying a one-of-a-kind painting or a reproduction.

Buy from the artists

Buy directly from Aboriginal artists, or a business they own, wherever you can.

Understand provenance

Provenance is the documented history of an artwork: who created it, when it was made and where it has been since. Clear provenance helps you understand what you are buying and keeps the work connected to the artist who created it.

Ask the seller for the artwork title, the artist’s name, the medium, the dimensions and the year it was created. If a work has been owned before, ask how and where it was acquired.

Check the Certificate of Authenticity

A Certificate of Authenticity supports provenance. It records key details about the artwork and the artist, but it is not proof on its own. Consider it alongside the artist’s identity and the artwork’s documented history.

Every original painting from KTAFA comes with a signed Certificate of Authenticity confirming the artwork title, artist name, medium, dimensions and year created, and each original is recorded in our collector registry.

Verify a KTAFA artwork

Original paintings and canvas prints

An original painting is a one-of-a-kind work painted by hand by the artist. KTAFA original paintings are hand-painted, signed by the artist and accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.

A canvas print is a reproduction of an original artwork, and a more accessible way to bring an artist’s work into your home. Most KTAFA canvas prints are open edition; a limited edition is always marked with its edition size. Before you buy anywhere, check that the listing clearly says whether a work is an original or a print.

Shop original Aboriginal paintings Shop Aboriginal canvas prints

Buy directly from Aboriginal artists

Buying directly from Aboriginal artists, or from a business they own and run, keeps the story, authorship and value of a work connected to the person who created it. It also means your questions about an artwork are answered by the people who made it.

KT Aboriginal Fine Art is a family-owned Aboriginal art business founded by Kelly Taylor. When you buy from us, you buy directly from the artists.

Original Aboriginal paintings Canvas prints Meet the artists Ask us about an artwork