Think about all the information vital to properly document, insure, and appraise your institution’s artwork. The basics — image, artist, title, dimensions, media, location, original cost, and insurance value — are probably obvious. But there is much more that can and should be tracked by collection management software. For instance, provenance (previous owner history), exhibition history, and bibliography are extremely important to prove authenticity and create an accurate appraisal. Poor record keeping can cost thousands in inaccurate valuations.

In Collection Management: First Steps, Vivien Ebersman of AXA Art Americas Corporation, outlines many of the crucial tasks in documenting and managing collection information.

By choosing Artsystems software to manage their collection, affiliated company AXA Equitable leads by example; the most efficient means to document, research, manage, and display collection information is a quality relational-database software system.

Indeed, institutional collection managers worldwide who use art collection management software agree — including the largest share of Fortune 500 corporate collections, who have chosen Artsystems.

Why select Artsystem5 (A5)  collection management software over other more rudimentary and less-efficient solutions? Quality. Artsystems has dedicated more than 33 years continuously automating and refining the vast array of professional art collection management practices, guided by its industry-leading clientele. With its best-of-breed software, Artsystems gives both new and established collections a head start and room to grow. New users who are not yet experienced in all facets of the art trade learn best practices just by working with A5. Experienced collection managers find their familiar practices automated, empowering them to accomplish vastly more in a fraction of the time.

A5’s powerful tools leverage information in many ways. For instance, A5’s generates a choice of over 140 clear, concise, thorough, flexible and editable reports and documents in Microsoft Word — with images — in a click. A5 works with other applications, including email, and facilitates sharing information with vendors, colleagues, or partners via Artsystems’ wide range of integrated online solutions.

Solutions include the Artsystems ProFile app for iPad and iPhone, which collections use because it allows them to import, display, and offer works easily and in the most elegant format, accessing and sharing key artwork and artist information anytime and anywhere, without requiring use of the Pro database.

Corporate, municipal, and small museum collections implement Artsystems Pro Websites for the quality of website and content management system (CMS) design, ease of use, and the control and time saved by directly updating their sites — uploading scores of works in minutes. They also love that the online CMS can be shared with the ProFile app, allowing both website and mobile app to be updated simultaneously.

Finally, one of the most important reasons galleries select Artsystems is the unparalleled quality of its support, with daily 12-hour live availability and faster than two-business-hour response from Artsystems experts who average over 25 years of art management experience. Our team of professionals is only a phone call or email away, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. New York time, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. London time, Monday to Friday, and by appointment.