Art Collections Management Services [ contact info ] Artiphile is an independent art advisory firm specializing in art collections management services and systems, established in 1991 to promote the conscientious stewardship of cultural property. Concerned primarily with the preservation of artistic and historic works held in collections outside museums, Artiphile implements museum-standard procedures for inventory, registration, cataloguing, photo-documentation, storage, installation and transportation, condition surveys, loans, insurance and appraisal needs germane to the proper maintenance of any art collection, large or small. With a focus on pro-active art collections management policies, Artiphile services collections of all media. We assess each client collection on an individual basis, conduct a thorough inventory by location and carefully examine each work of art in order to establish a baseline condition record and prioritize conservation needs. A maintenance plan including specific recommendations for display, storage, and environmental control, as well as practical care and handling guidelines, is an integral part of Artiphile's collections management program. Inventory and condition surveys disclose a great deal of information about an art collection, not the least of which is how many objects there are and where they are. Further, an interview with a collector provides important details about provenance, exhibition history, bibliography, and past conservation treatments for which there may be no paper record. The second phase of the Artiphile service involves developing an information management system to accommodate compiled data. Artiphile specializes in designing customized databases that support digital images and recommends this as the most efficient way to update, retrieve and store information. As photographic documentation is another essential component of good record keeping, Artiphile can work with professional fine art photographers or take our own digital shots concurrent with the inventory process. A video record is made to assist in our work and may be turned over to the collector as an auxiliary photo-document. Finally, object files for all paper records and photographic material will be created. With the collection fully documented, Artiphile evaluates the insurance policy to ensure that appraisals are up to date and that coverage is adequate. We work with insurance companies to negotiate for our clients the best policies and premiums in return for their demonstrating a commitment to a higher standard of collections management. Documentary control over the works of art in an art collection greatly reduces risk while providing the collector with the benefit of accurate information in order to review and actively administer the collection through acquisitions, deaccessions, donations, and estate planning. Artiphile regards art collections management as smart asset management, but in a larger sense believes it to be the tacit responsibility of any temporary custodian of our collective cultural heritage. It is our objective to bring a greater understanding of this principle to the collecting public. more >>