The function of the object file

A work of art carries part of its history on its reverse (labels, stamps, inscriptions), but not its complete history: title of purchase, contractual terms, exhibitions, critical literature and restoration all reside in documents, which are often more easily lost than the works themselves. For this reason, inventory management provides for a file, in paper or digital form, dedicated to each work. This archive makes it possible to document ownership, reconstruct provenance, support the attribution and respond promptly to the checks required for insurance cover, loans or sales. The file gathers evidence to be verified, not certainties: invoices, certificates and labels may be wrong or forged, and whoever values the work checks their veracity before relying on them.

Categories of document to archive

The documentation to be kept falls into precise categories:

  • Title of purchase and provenance: invoices, receipts, contracts, delivery notes, extracts from auction catalogues with the lot number, or notarial deeds of gift or succession. For inherited works, where the original invoice is missing, the other supporting documents take on importance.
  • Dated photographs: photographs of the front and the reverse with details of signatures, labels and damage, in addition to period images or photographs of the work in situ that attest to its presence in the collection on a given date.
  • Correspondence: autograph letters, exchanges and communications with the artist, the gallery, the archive or the restorer, kept with their dates.
  • Critical literature and exhibitions: mentions in catalogues raisonnés, monographs and exhibition catalogues, together with the loan labels applied to the reverse of the work.
  • Valuations and policies: written appraisals bearing a date and a stated purpose, and past insurance policies showing the sums insured, which also serve as indirect evidence of possession.
  • Conservation work and transport: invoices and technical reports of restoration or condition reports, and transport documents: together they attest to the work carried out, its chronology and the costs incurred.
  • Movement across borders: export certificates and licences, import documents and evidence of the customs status of the work, which for works that have crossed a border form part of the provenance.
  • Opinions on attribution: certificates of authenticity, notices of inclusion in an archive and the replies of artists' archives, including any refusals, which are historical elements to be preserved in their own right.

Keeping the physical elements

Preservation extends to the related physical elements: period frames, removed labels, tags, packaging bearing customs or shipping stamps, mounts. Each of these carries information about the history of the work and sometimes about its value.

Evolution and updating

The progress of research does not mean discarding earlier documents. Where new enquiries alter the reconstruction of provenance, the previous version is kept together with its date, so that the state of knowledge at each point in time can be traced. The same principle applies to the log of checks carried out and replies received.

Off-site duplication of the archive

A second complete copy of the archive must be kept, with inventory, photographs and high-resolution scans, in a place separate from the works. This precaution prevents a single loss from taking both the work and its documentation at once. The digital copy is to be kept in standard formats updated over time, while the original paper documents are preserved for those checks in which the physical document must be produced.

Management and professional responsibilities

The file is a permanent companion to the work and accompanies it through transfers of ownership. Whoever manages the collection ensures that it is kept in order, constantly updated and available for future transfers of the estate, treating third-party data with due confidentiality. Any tax or succession considerations arising from the documentation fall within the specific competence of the notary and the tax adviser.