Takanawa Ni-ju-roku Ya Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese, Tokyo (Edo) 1797–1858 Tokyo (Edo))
Ensure a lasting legacy for your collection
Beyond acquiring artwork, your art collection requires diligence and attention to detail so it can stay in pristine condition, which increases its value over time.
Here are some places to start digging more deeply into artwork, its cultural context, archival methods to preserve it, and people who can help support your efforts.
We recommend the following resources to help you find historical information, conservation methods, and collection management practices that contribute to your collection’s value and ensure its lasting legacy.
Historical Research
1. Yale University Library: Art History Related Websites
This goldmine of art history links from Yale University with good places to find art on the Internet. This page provides news feeds from various art publications and organizations, as well as a sampling of art historical resources available on the open web.
2. The Metropolitan Museum: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History takes a chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of art history from around the world, using examples from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
Continuously updated by the Museum's curatorial, conservation, and education staff, this site has become an invaluable reference and research tool for students, educators, scholars, and anyone interested in studying art history and related subjects.
Preservation and Conservation
3. American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
“By melding art with science, conservation professionals protect our heritage, preserve our legacy, and ultimately, save our treasures for generations to come.”
With an emphasis on preserving historically significant objects for future generations, this membership organization supports and educates collectors on professional standards, educational opportunities, research, and publications.
Materials include guides on how to care for objects, selecting a conservator, and answers to more questions about conservation.
4. Art Conservators Alliance
The Art Conservators Alliance (ACA) is comprised of expert art conservators who offer services for museum-quality care for paintings, three-dimensional objects, textiles, works of art and archival materials on paper. These qualified conservators will review what your art piece needs in terms of conservation, and they can provide expert opinion about the urgency and effort required to conserve a piece.
5. AXA Art Insurance
Driven by a passion for the arts, the AXA ART Group aims to protect collectors and professionals in the art community from financial loss in the event of damage or physical loss. By staying in-the-know with values and trends in the international art market, this group works to advise clients on managing their collections with custom insurance policies and expert tips on loss prevention, mitigation, and conservation.
6. The Care and Handling of Art Objects: Practices in The Metropolitan Museum of Art
While focused on the museum’s collection, this guide provides fundamental principles for conserving paintings, drawings and prints, textiles, costumes, musical instruments, and three-dimensional objects.
7. National Parks Service Conserve-o-Gram
Published in bite-size batches of information, the National Parks Service provides leaflet-style guides and periodic updates for museum-quality conservation practices. The archive of topics creates an easy-to-navigate list of specific techniques, procedures, materials, and suppliers.
Collection Management
8. Artwork Archive
A simple yet powerful tool, Artwork Archive gives collectors a single place to manage all the components and relationships that go into maintaining your art collection. Not only does the cloud-based software keep details organized, it also provides analytical data that can be used for insurance, appraisals, and estate planning. They supplement services with insightful blog and newsletter feeds with advice, interviews, and a platform to discover new artists.
9. Financial Advisor Magazine
Art collecting is a unique investment, but an investment nonetheless, and it should be treated as such. Financial Advisor Magazine provides access to information for protecting and managing your financial investments as well as reporting on world events affecting current markets and spending.
10. Appraisers Association
Assessing an accurate value for works of art takes highly specialized knowledge and training, and finding qualified individuals can be challenging. The Appraisers Association provides services, knowledge transfer opportunities, and guidelines specifically for appraising decorative and fine art. The association helps collectors find appraisers with qualified knowledge unique to your collection.
