Collection care · 6 min read
What Belongs in an Artwork Condition File
Condition is a record over time—not a single sentence written at the moment of sale.
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Collection care
The 15 articles on collection care published by The Private Art Index. Independent editorial research, reviewed by the publication's editorial board.
Collection care · 7 min read
Collection Management for Private Collectors: The Records That Matter
The minimum record set a private collector needs to manage a collection well, and the operational practices that make the records useful over decades.
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Collection care · 6 min read
Art Insurance for Private Collectors: What the Policy Actually Covers
How art insurance works for a private collector, what the standard policy covers, what it excludes, and what to check at each renewal.
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Collection care · 8 min read
Art Authentication: How Collectors Verify a Work Is Real
What authentication is, who does it, what the process looks like for a contemporary or modern work, and what the collector's role is before, during and after the work is acquired.
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Collection care · 7 min read
Art Conservation for Private Collectors: What to Know, When to Act
What conservation is, when a work needs conservation, who does the work, and how a collector manages the relationship with a conservator over the life of a collection.
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Collection care · 7 min read
Documenting an Art Collection: The Records That Outlive the Collector
Why a private collection's documentation matters more than the collection itself, what the documentation covers, and how the documentation is built to survive the collector and the next steward.
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Collection care · 8 min read
Art Rental vs Buying for Staging: Contracts, Condition and Insurance
The choice is usually framed as a cost comparison. The parts that actually create exposure are the loan agreement, the condition record and who carries the risk in transit.
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Collection care · 8 min read
Art in Transit: Packing, Shipping and Who Bears the Risk
Most damage happens while a work is moving. The documents and decisions that determine who pays when it does — and how to make a claim survivable.
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Collection care · 8 min read
Lending a Work to an Exhibition: The Loan Agreement
An institutional loan can strengthen a work's history and carries real obligations. What the loan form should say before a collector signs it.
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Collection care · 7 min read
Storage for Private Collections: What to Ask a Facility
Most collections outgrow their walls. The questions that separate a climate-controlled fine-art facility from a well-marketed warehouse.
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Collection care · 6 min read
Preserving Art at Home: Light, Humidity and Handling
Preventive care for art at home: controlling light, keeping humidity stable, handling works safely and spotting problems before treatment.
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Collection care · 6 min read
Conservation Framing: Glazing, Mats and Mounts
Why framing is a conservation decision: choosing glazing, mats, spacers, hinges and backing that protect a work rather than harm it.
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Collection care · 6 min read
Caring for Works on Paper
How to care for drawings, prints and watercolours at home: limiting light, handling sheets safely, storing them flat and watching for mould.
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Collection care · 6 min read
Caring for Outdoor Sculpture
How to care for outdoor sculpture in bronze, stone, steel and painted materials: regular inspections, safe cleaning, mounting and security.
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Collection care · 7 min read
Emergency Planning for Art Collections: Fire, Flood and Earthquake
Preparing an art collection for fire, flood and earthquake: priorities, key contacts, what to do during an event and first salvage steps.
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