Disclaimer. Collectalia is not a legal, tax or insurance advice site. The information on this page is general and based on French legislation in force as of 09/11/2026: it may change, does not necessarily apply outside France and does not take your situation into account. Always have it checked by a notary, a lawyer, an accountant or your insurer before acting on it.
Key points
- A serious art collection inventory describes each work precisely enough to recognise it without seeing it.
- The value of a work depends as much on its documents (provenance, certificate, exhibitions) as on the object itself.
- Kept up to date, the inventory serves insurance, resale, loans and succession planning.
Managing your art collection: what you really need to track
A spreadsheet is enough for a dozen works. Beyond that, people soon look for art inventory software: photos get scattered, certificates sit in a folder, the insurer’s valuation is several years old and nobody but you knows where the lithograph lent to a friend is. Managing your art collection means, first of all, bringing the object, its evidence and its history together in one place.
The need is the same whether you own paintings, sculpture, works on paper, photography, design, ceramics, decorative arts or tapestry. The details change from one field to another: the edition number of a print, the founder’s mark on a bronze, the process of a photographic print, the manufacturer of a designer chair, the workshop of a tapestry.
What an artwork record contains
| Field | What it is for |
|---|---|
| Artist, title, date of creation, series | Identify the work and link it to the artist’s output. |
| Technique, support, dimensions (image, sheet, frame), weight | Tell two similar works apart; prepare transport or framing. |
| Signature and inscriptions | A key element of authentication and valuation. |
| Edition: number, AP (EA), HC, publisher, founder’s mark | Place a multiple, a print or a bronze within its edition (see the AP, HC and numbered edition markings). |
| Process and type of print (photography) | Tell a vintage print from a later one, which makes all the difference to value. |
| Provenance, exhibitions, publications | Trace the history of the work: it is the first thing an expert asks for. |
| Certificate of authenticity, invoices | Prove origin and ownership. |
| Condition, condition reports | Document the work before a loan, transport or restoration. |
| Location and movements | Know where the work is: living room, storage, loan, restoration. |
Before a valuation, prepare the work’s file: our guide on getting a painting valued details the photos and documents that help.
Value and insurance: prove, then update
After a theft or water damage, it is up to you to prove what you owned and what it was worth. The best evidence is simple: sharp photos of the front, the back and the details (signature, gallery labels, stamps), the invoice, the certificate and a recent valuation.
The value of a work moves. Keep the history of valuations, with their date and author, rather than a single figure overwritten at each update. At every policy renewal, compare the insured value with the latest valuation: an underinsured work is poorly compensated.
Succession: preparing for what comes next
In an estate, a collector’s painting is not treated like an ordinary piece of furniture: works of art and collectors’ items are excluded from the 5% flat-rate allowance for furnishings, and their value cannot be lower than the estimate in a theft or fire insurance policy in force at the time of death, unless proven otherwise. A documented inventory helps the notary (notaire) and spares the heirs from reconstructing the collection from memory. Also note your wishes: who should receive which work, whom to contact to sell, which works are on loan.
For an artist or a rights holder, the next step is the catalogue raisonné: numbered entries, unlocated works, bibliography and public sales.
Photos from your phone and sharing
The phone has become the best inventory tool: photograph the work in daylight, without flash, first straight on and then in detail. To show a selection to an expert, a buyer or an adviser, avoid sending your photos by messaging app: prefer a password-protected, time-limited link that shows only the chosen works.
With Collectalia
Collectalia is art collection management software: one record per work with the fields specific to each category (painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, design, ceramics, decorative arts, tapestry), photos taken from your phone by scanning a QR code, documents, provenance, exhibitions, successive valuations, insurance policies with a reminder before renewal, a Succession module and private showrooms shared through a protected link. Hosted in France, with a free trial and free read-only access.
Disclaimer. Collectalia is not a legal, tax or insurance advice site. The information on this page is general and based on French legislation in force as of 09/11/2026: it may change, does not necessarily apply outside France and does not take your situation into account. Always have it checked by a notary, a lawyer, an accountant or your insurer before acting on it.