On-Tap Cataloging of Fine Art Collections: Blockchain and NFC Making it Easy for Art Collectors

You start buying, and it becomes infectious.

’Decorative’ takes on a whole new meaning as the art, the artist, the story behind the art opens the door to an art world menagerie that changes, challenges your perspectives, surprises, shocks, and captivates.

You start to realize that art, being its own reward, is not confined to the picture on your wall. It is multi-dimensional, draws you in, and envelops.

In time, your collection grows.

You have followed the artists and seen them grow.

The Hidden Burden of Managing a Fine Art Collection

Yet, each time you buy, there is paperwork to handle, to file, framers to frame, and insurers to consult.

You realize that with art collecting, managing your collection can be a headache.

That invoice and certificate of authenticity for the piece you bought ten years ago sit yellowing away in some paper file moved three times, or attached to some email, names all lost and forgotten.

And that's if you have the paperwork.

Certificates of Authenticity and the Problem of Trust

We happened on a gallery not too long ago that told us that for fine art multiple,s it does not issue certificates of authenticity. The gallery’s ‘reputation‘ suffices.

Ok.

When It’s Time to Sell: Provenance Matters

Parting with your fine art is hard, but there comes a time when the old needs to make way for the new.

Your buyer or auction house will want the paperwork. Then starts the search. Could have sworn it was from that gallery, in that file, in that box. Damn, what happened to that box when we moved?

Why The Fine Art Ledger Was Created

So it is this fine art collecting experience, the joys and the headaches, that brought us, as fine art collectors, to start The Fine Art Ledger.

We wanted an easy and trustworthy way to catalogue, manage, hold, and transfer fine art.

Our approach is different.

Putting the Physical Artwork First

It starts and focuses on the physical artwork, with the emphasis on keeping the paperwork, the fine art record, tied and together with the underlying asset, the physical artwork.

But our approach is not to follow the traditional way of inventorying art, through mobile applications or stand-alone desktop applications, which require first going into the app to type in the artwork details and then trying to link it to the underlying artwork.

No. Not that.

Letting the Art Store Provide Its Own Information

We wanted to start and end with the physical art itself: make it the entry and reference point for the record. Let it store its own info.

Keeping the enjoyment and the focus on the artwork. Not the records.

After all, that is the fine art collector's focus.

Why Stand-Alone Art Inventory Systems Fall Short

Who needs the hassle of another stand-alone software system with another app, requiring you to search for an asset record for a physical asset that sits on your wall, in plain view?

Why not catalog and maintain the art?

Blockchain and NFC: The Fine Art Ledger Approach

So using blockchain and Near Field Communication, we did exactly that. This is The Fine Art Ledger.

For a deeper look at how FAL’s NFC tags simplify cataloging and promotion, read FAL is the Fine Art Ledger: An Easy to Use, Yet Powerful Fine Art Management and Promotion System.

Cataloging Fine Art With a Simple Tap

Through our proprietary Fine Art Ledger (FAL) NFC tags, all you need to do to catalog your work is to mobile phone tap a FAL NFC tag.

On tap, you are taken on your phone to fill in and submit the details of the work, the artist, and the owner. All handled on a simple and quick mobile form.

See how artists use FAL to authenticate and protect their work in Fine Artists, Blockchain, and The Fine Art Ledger: Where It All Begins.

Blockchain-Stamped Certificates of Authenticity

We review, and once approved, stamp the details of the work into the platform, and your work is cataloged in the ‘My Works’ page of your FAL members account, with a real-time blockchain-stamped certificate of authenticity detailing the artwork, artist, your registered title, and provenance, all stamped in.

Accessing Your Collection Through the Artwork Itself

To access your collection catalog, you don’t need to first go online to find our application.

All you do is tap your phone near the artwork, sign in, and your art information is pushed to your mobile phone.

Learn how galleries use Mobile Fine Art Experiences™ to engage patrons in Taking Art Galleries Next Level with Mobile Fine Art Experiences™.

A Continuous Link Between Art and Information

A continuous and instantly available link between your works of fine art and your art information, all neatly cataloged in your account, and accessed through your art.

Not some stand-alone app or inventory system.

Preparing Your Collection for Sale, Insurance, or Wealth Management

And so when it comes time to sell, or to insure or to borrow against your collection, or even integrate into your wealth management portfolio, your fine art collection is neatly cataloged, just a mobile phone tap away.

Transferring Fine Art Ownership on the Blockchain

And when you do sell, we have built a fine art transfer system on our platform to transfer your artwork or an interest in it simply with the buyer’s email address.

Your buyer gets her own FAL account, with the work now cataloged in her name, and with continuity in art-art information linkage, and a clear, blockchain-stamped provenance, all available on mobile phone tap.

Privacy Controls for Art Collectors

But it’s not just anyone who can view your art info: set your permissions in your FAL catalog to control who can.

Discover how to enrich each cataloged work with dynamic content in Add Content to Your Works of Fine Art: The Fine Art Ledger’s Exciting New Feature.

A Secure, Asset-Driven Platform for Fine Art

Combining blockchain with NFC makes The Fine Art Ledger a powerful asset-driven platform.

The Fine Art Ledger is an integrated platform built with improved fine art trust, security, management, and access priorities.

Fine Art Management Designed for Collectors

For collectors, we want it to be an indispensable, comprehensive tool for easily managing and securing fine art, but with the fine art in the center. Not an appendage to complex asset-inventory software.

Isn't that, after all to begin with the purpose of having the art? To enjoy and engage.

Taking the Hassle Out of Fine Art Management

So take a step to take the hassle out of your fine art management, get your Fine Art Ledger NFC tags, and start keeping your fine art information with your fine art.

Once stamped into the blockchain, your art information takes on a real-time, integrated reliability that can not be given by a piece of paper tied to an email or filed in a cabinet.

For more on how blockchain secures authenticity and provenance, see NFTs and the Authentication of Fine Art.

No matter how impressive a gallery’s credentials may be.