What is a power of attorney for buying art remotely, and do you need one?
For an ordinary purchase of a single painting from Perfeito Studio — paid by international wire, shipped by courier — you generally do not need a power of attorney. It only becomes relevant when a formal legal act requires someone else to sign a notarized document on your behalf, which a standard art purchase does not.
What a power of attorney actually is, and why the question comes up
A power of attorney is a legal document in which one person, the principal, authorizes another person, the agent or attorney-in-fact, to act on their behalf — sign documents, complete a transaction, or make a decision the principal cannot make in person. Cornell Law School's Legal Information Institute describes it as an agreement between those two parties, and the authority it grants can be broad or limited to a single, named transaction.
The question comes up for international art buyers for an understandable reason: buying a painting without seeing it in person, paying in a foreign currency, and having it shipped across a border sounds like exactly the kind of transaction that would need a formal legal instrument behind it. In practice, for a straightforward purchase, it usually does not.
The ordinary case: buying one painting from outside Brazil, remotely
Buying a single painting from Perfeito Studio while living outside Brazil follows the same shape whether the buyer is in São Paulo or Singapore: the conversation happens by WhatsApp or email, the work is paid for by international wire transfer, and the piece ships by courier once payment clears. None of those three steps is a legal act that requires the buyer's physical signature in front of a notary, and none of them is contingent on producing a power of attorney.
What the transaction does require is paperwork that describes the object and records the sale — a bill of sale and a signed Certificate of Authenticity, the same documents any buyer receives regardless of where they live. A power of attorney answers a different question — who is legally authorized to act for someone else — and a normal purchase doesn't raise that question, because the buyer is the one paying, the one named on the paperwork, and the one the work ships to.
When a power of attorney does become relevant
A power of attorney becomes relevant when a formal legal act requires a signature the buyer genuinely cannot provide — not when a buyer would simply rather not travel. Two situations where it does apply:
- Someone else needs to sign a notarized document on the buyer's behalf. If a purchase is structured as part of a larger legal transaction — a corporate acquisition, an estate purchase, a formal gift instrument — that requires notarization, and the named buyer cannot appear before a notary, a power of attorney lets a nominated agent sign in their place.
- A designated person needs to act for the buyer at a specific step — clearing customs, or representing the buyer in a dispute — where local rules require proof that the person acting is legally authorized to do so, not simply a friend or relative the buyer trusts informally.
An ordinary studio purchase — pay, receive a certificate, receive the work — sits outside both of those categories.
If you do need one: notarization and apostille, in general terms
When a power of attorney is genuinely needed, two extra steps usually apply — in the studio's general experience with international paperwork, though exact requirements vary by country and by the receiving institution, so this is general orientation rather than a substitute for local legal advice. First, the document is typically notarized in the principal's own country, with a notary confirming the signer's identity and witnessing the signature. Second, if the power of attorney needs to be recognized in another country, it often needs an apostille — under the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention, a single certificate that replaces the older, slower legalization process for public documents moving between the roughly 130 countries that are party to the convention.
Because the specific requirements depend on both the buyer's country and the nature of the legal act involved, a buyer who genuinely needs a power of attorney for a purchase — rather than simply wondering whether one is required — is better served asking a notary or lawyer in their own jurisdiction than relying on a general guide.
From the studio
From the studio
Most of the collectors I work with outside Brazil never ask about a power of attorney — they ask whether they can trust a purchase they can't inspect in person, and that's a fair question to lead with. My answer is the same one I'd give a collector in Brasília: every work leaves the studio with its Archive ID, a Certificate of Authenticity I sign and date by hand, and a bilingual Acquisition Agreement both of us sign. None of that paperwork requires the buyer to appear anywhere or authorize anyone else to act for them — it's built to work over WhatsApp and email, because that's how most of these sales actually happen.
Reading a space is part of my training as an architect, and I try to bring the same instinct to the paperwork side of a sale: it should be legible enough that a buyer three time zones away doesn't need a lawyer to understand what they're signing. A power of attorney is a real instrument for a real situation — it's just not the situation most collectors buying a single painting are actually in.
Frequently asked
Do I need a power of attorney to buy art from Brazil without visiting?
Not for an ordinary purchase. Buying a single painting — paying by international wire and having it shipped by courier — doesn't require a notarized signature or a legal representative acting on your behalf. A power of attorney only becomes relevant if the purchase is tied to a formal legal act, such as a notarized document, that you can't sign yourself.
Can Perfeito Studio handle a purchase entirely by WhatsApp and email?
Yes. Most international buyers complete the whole process — viewing images of the work, agreeing on price, arranging payment and shipping — over WhatsApp and email, without a video call or an in-person visit required. The paperwork, including the Certificate of Authenticity and Acquisition Agreement, is exchanged digitally and can be signed and returned electronically.
Who signs the certificate of authenticity if the buyer isn't present?
The artist does. The Certificate of Authenticity is signed and dated by Alyne Perfeito and describes the work itself — not the buyer. It travels with the piece regardless of where the buyer is located, and it doesn't require the buyer's signature to be valid.
Does a power of attorney need to be notarized in the buyer's home country?
Generally, yes, when one is actually required: a power of attorney is typically notarized where the person granting it lives, and if it needs to be used abroad it often also needs an apostille under the 1961 Hague Convention. Exact requirements vary by country, so this is a question for a local notary or lawyer rather than a general answer.
What documents does a remote buyer actually need to complete a purchase?
A bill of sale recording the transaction, a signed Certificate of Authenticity describing the work, and — for shipping — the standard commercial invoice and customs paperwork the courier prepares. None of these require the buyer's notarized signature or a power of attorney; they require the buyer's payment and a shipping address.
What if I want someone else to receive the artwork on my behalf?
That's a shipping instruction, not a legal transfer of authority — the studio can address the shipment to whoever you name, the same way any courier can deliver to a friend or family member. A power of attorney would only come into play if that person also needed to act as your legal representative for the purchase itself, which a simple delivery instruction doesn't require.
Buying from outside Brazil? Start the conversation on WhatsApp.
Most international purchases need no power of attorney — just a bill of sale, a signed certificate, and a shipping address. Message the studio to ask what a purchase from your country actually involves.
Sources
- Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute — 2026-09-21
- Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) — 2026-09-21
Published on