ART COLLECTORS
APPRAISALS
AUTHENTICATION
PURCHASE DOCUMENTATION:
- Certificate of Authenticity (COA): Ensure it includes the artist's name, title, medium, dimensions, date of creation, edition number (if applicable), and the artist's original signature.
- Sales Invoice: Keep a formal receipt from a reputable gallery or dealer showing purchase price, date, and seller contact details.
- Provenance Trail: Collect the written history of past ownership, previous exhibition labels, and auction house records.
ARTWORK INSPECTION:
- Signature and Markings: Inspect the signature under magnification to ensure it matches the artist's known style and isn't a reproduction.
- Materials and Age: Verify that the canvas, pigments, and stretcher bars align chronologically with the artist’s active lifetime.
- Technical Analysis: For high-value pieces, hire independent conservators or forensic labs to run scientific tests like pigment analysis, x-rays, or UV light.
COLLECTION
COLLECTION CHECKLIST:
Here is a list of information to record about each art piece in your collection.
- Artist/Maker
- Dates of Artist/Maker
- Title of Work
- Description of Subject Matter or Type of Work
- Date of Work
- Materials
- Dimensions
- Condition: Describe the object’s surface, and carefully note any changes during periodic re-examinations. If you send a work for conservation, obtain the conservator’s report and file it. Note in your record the date of the report and that you have added it to the file.
- Inscriptions and Markings: Examine the back as well as the front of every two-dimensional work. Record earlier labels, inventory numbers, artist signatures, and all other writing.
- Distinguishing Features
- Location of Object: Especially important if you have more than one residence.
- Display: Who framed or mounted it? How was it secured?
- Provenance: What is the collection history of the object? To whom did it previously belong? Pay special attention to antiquities and to any work created before 1946 thought to have been in Europe after 1932.
- Bibliography: Is your work cited in the catalogue raisonné of the artist? This will definitely affect valuation, as authentication frequently depends on a work’s inclusion in the accepted catalogue raisonné. Are there other citations?
- Exhibition History: If possible file a copy of the catalogue of any show in which a work has appeared. Otherwise make a copy of the complete reference including dates and location.
- Purchase Price and Date
- Appraisal History
- Loan History: Record exhibition dates, venues, and the value placed on the work at the time of the loan. Make notes about its condition before it leaves, and require a condition report from each location.
From: Smithsonian Institution & Smithsonian Associates
Full Article: HERE
CONSERVATION
CONSERVATION SERVICES:
American Institute For Conservation Directory: HERE
Canadian Conservation Institute: HERE
CoOL Conservation Online: HERE
International Institute For Conservation: HERE
Library of Congress Preservation Information: HERE
CONSERVATION SUPPLIES:
Archival Methods: HERE
Conservation Resources International: HERE
Gaylord Archival: HERE
Hollinger Metal Edge: HERE
Light Impressions: HERE
Print File- Archival Storage: HERE
University Products: HERE
FRAMING
FRAMING ARTICLES:
- FRAMING CANVAS -
How to Choose a Frame for a Stretched Canvas: HERE
How to Frame Canvas Art: HERE
What Works Best for Different Styles: HERE
- FRAMING PAPER -
Fine Art Framing 101: HERE
Framing Made Simple: HERE
Guide to Framing Artwork: HERE
How to Frame Art: HERE
The Experts Guide to Framing and Hanging Art: HERE
FRAMING SUPPLY ARTICLES:
- BACKING -
A Guide to Choose the Best Picture Frame Backing: HERE
Picture Frame Backing Breakdown: HERE
- HARDWARE -
A Guide to Common Household Picture Hardware: HERE
How to Choose Picture Frame Hanging Hardware: HERE
- MAT BOARD -
Mat Board Type Guide: HERE
The 7 Most Popular Mat Board Styles Defined: HERE
To Mat Or Not To Mat: HERE
SUPPLIERS:
American Frame: HERE
Decor Moulding & Supply: HERE
Frame Destination: HERE
Frames By Mail: HERE
Picture Frames .com: HERE
Your Picture Frames: HERE
INSURANCE
SHIPPING
