CONSERVATION IN THE ART MARKET1. INTRODUCTIONThe art, antiques and antiques trade employs a wide range of professionals who work in very different areas of the market. It involves finance to wealth and represents a safe asset for investments. The objective of this research project proposal is to determine the reasons for the importance of the role of conservators and restorers in the art world. Indeed, through the restoration process and studies, many doubts regarding the works of art can be resolved. The latest cases of artistic fraud, such as the recent scandal at the Knoedler Gallery in New York which sold a large number of fake paintings since the 1990s (Cohen 2014) or the fake Princess Amarna from the Bolton Museum purchased by the museum in 2003 for £440,000 (Bailey 2001), the art world is increasingly concerned with the authenticity of works of art. The situation in the antiquities market is also worrying, where illicit trade represents almost 80% of total trade. This is due to the multi-billion dollar turnover of the antiquities market (Sease 1997: 50; Elia 1995: 245). One example is the Medici scandal, where, through a complex international network, looted antiquities were laundered by major auction houses, then purchased and exhibited in some of the world's greatest museums (Watson and Todeschini 2006). . The study has three major objectives: To explain why, through the process of conservation/restoration of a work of art and its subsequent study, the authenticity of a work of art or antique can be established. Explain why and how conservators/restorers can play a very important role in combating the conversion of the illicit antiquities market. Encourage all professionals. of the field in an international consensus on ...... middle of article ...... ral Property, (3/12), pp. 358-363JAESCHKE, HF (1996), The Conservation Treatment of Looted Antiquities and the responsibilities of conservators, in archaeological conservation and its consequences pp. 82-85, International Institute for ConservationPYE, E (2001), Caring for the Past. Conservation issues for archeology and museums, James & James (Science Publishers) Ltd. WATZMAN, H. (2005), Reality check, Nature, vol.434 (3) pp.13-15WARD, B. (1994) , Conservation and the Antiquities Trade, London, December 2-3, International Journal of Cultural Property, vol. 3 (02), pp.358-363, Cambridge University PressIntroduction to Research and Research Methods (2010), University of Bradford, School of ManagementCOLLIS, J. and HUSSEY, R (2003) Business Research: a practical guide for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students, Second Edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.