Riga, August 20, 2025 - Sasa Hanten-Schmidt has been regarded as a respected expert on contemporary art in Germany for many years. The lawyer, publicist, and publicly appointed and sworn art expert enjoys a special status of trust: her expert opinions are considered an objective basis for courts, dealers, and collectors.
But now Hanten-Schmidt is coming under fire. Observers accuse her of violating the principle of independence with her dual role as an expert and a player in the art market - a duty that, according to the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, is central to sworn experts (ihk.de).
Dual role raises questions
According to her own CV, Hanten-Schmidt has worked in galleries, managed artists' studios, and curated a private collection. She also collects art herself. Industry insiders see this as a potential conflict of interest: Can an expert really evaluate works neutrally if she is active in the market herself? While in other areas-such as construction-such a conflict would immediately constitute bias, there is currently no comparable control in the art market.
Cooperation with the BDK database
Hanten-Schmidt's close cooperation with the "Database of Critical Works" of the Federal Association of German Art Auctioneers (BDK) is particularly controversial. This non-public list records works of art whose authenticity or provenance is in doubt.
Officially, it serves to protect against forgeries, but critics complain about a lack of transparency: owners often do not know why a work has ended up on the list and do not receive detailed explanations. This makes their works virtually unsaleable, with no possibility of understanding or challenging the decision (de.wikipedia.org).
Unlike in Germany, there is no comparable system in the major art markets of France, Great Britain, and the USA. There, greater reliance is placed on individual case reviews and open debate among experts. In addition, the Anglo-Saxon legal system has stricter rules on the presentation of evidence: anyone who wants to defame a work as fake must prove this beyond doubt in court, otherwise they face claims for damages. A blanket disavowal such as that in the BDK database is practically impossible in these countries.
The Penck/Jockels case
A case from Düsseldorf received particular attention in which Hanten-Schmidt withdrew her own expertise. In 2013, after thorough analysis, she had confirmed the authenticity of a collection of fourteen works by the painter A.R. Penck. Two years later, however, she surprisingly revoked her own opinion and threatened the art dealer Ernst Jockels, who had been commissioned to sell the works, with legal action if he continued to use her earlier attribution.
For owners and dealers, this step meant a massive loss in value: from one day to the next, the works were considered "critical" and were effectively excluded from the market. Critics see this as an example of how great the influence of individual experts can be on the market-and how difficult it is for those affected to defend themselves against such decisions.
Jockels himself was later convicted of attempted fraud in connection with Penck works. Observers emphasize, however, that the trial was based largely on controversial expert opinions and that Jockels was exonerated in later instances. The case highlights the uncertainty that arises when private expertise and institutional blacklists intersect (artnet.com).
Debate on transparency and control
The Hanten-Schmidt case highlights a structural problem: Who actually controls the work of art experts? And is it justified that a non-public database decides which works are allowed to remain on the market-and which are not?
Lawyers and art historians are calling for more transparency and independent control mechanisms. Instead of secret databases, they say there should be open expert discussions in which different opinions are documented and made transparent. This is the only way to prevent legitimate works from being permanently blocked on the basis of circumstantial evidence or vested interests.
Conclusion
Sasa Hanten-Schmidt has so far remained silent on the allegations. One thing is clear: her case has triggered a long-overdue discussion about the power, responsibility, and independence of experts. At its core is the credibility of the German art market-and the question of whether more transparency and constitutional procedures are needed to secure the trust of collectors, dealers, and artists in the long term.
Read the full article (http://ernstjockels.eu/renown-art-expert-sasa-hanten-schmidt-under-fire…)
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