Digital Dossier by Arcual: Redefining Art Documentation and Provenance

Digital Dossier by Arcual is the world’s first paperless art dossier

Digitial Dossier by Arcual is a new product feature, launched during Art Basel and available through Salesroom by Arcual, which enhances the collecting experience. Digital Dossier reimagines the way collectors preserve the information about the artwork they purchase, and how they receive immutable digital provenance. When buying an artwork using Arcual, Digital Dossier stores all essential images and documentation related to an artwork, as well as their Digital Certificate of Authenticity signed by the artist and the gallery, preserving the artist’s narrative, the artwork’s history, its authenticity, and value.

Enhanced Documentation Experience for Collectors

Digital Dossier by Arcual introduces a new experience for collectors acquiring art, whilst instantly gaining access to all of an artwork’s information and documentation. By offering a digital vault for storing important records, Digital Dossier enables collectors to access and manage their art's provenance and documentation online as never before. From sketches and photographs to shipping details, installation guidelines, and condition reports, Digital Dossier ensures that every aspect of an artwork's journey is preserved electronically in a secure and convenient way, eliminating the risks associated with physical copies that can be misplaced, damaged, or stolen.

Digital Certificate of Authenticity and Provenance

One of the key elements of the Digital Dossier is the inclusion of a digital Certificate of Authenticity. The Certificate of Authenticity serves as a verifiable record of the artwork's authenticity and is securely stored on the blockchain, making it tamper-proof and immutable.

By attaching the Certificate of Authenticity to an artwork's Digital Dossier, collectors gain an additional layer of confidence in the artwork's provenance, thereby enhancing its value. The Arcual Digital Certificate of Authenticity not only adds value and credibility to artworks but also enhances the overall art-buying experience by fostering trust.

What is remarkable about this feature is that both the gallery and the artist co-sign the Certificate of Authenticity, providing dual verification and solidifying the artwork's authenticity.

Moreover, the Digital Dossier serves as an immutable record of the purchase, ensuring the artwork's history and authenticity are securely recorded. This future-proofs the artwork and can be particularly useful when considering potential resale opportunities.

Empowering Galleries to Enhance the Collector’s Experience.

Digital Dossier also empowers galleries to enhance their offerings by providing buyers with a digital record of all documentation related to an artwork. This feature offers galleries using Salesroom a seamless and efficient way to provide comprehensive information and to establish greater trust with buyers. Galleries can add up to 10 additional photos and 10 supporting documents, such as exhibition catalogues, condition reports, or insurance records.

Use Case Example: Preserving Fragile and Ephemeral Artworks

For this particular example, Digital Dossier by Arcual enables collectors to preserve an ephemeral artwork’s story and history digitally, ensuring that its journey can be recorded and appreciated even if the physical piece itself deteriorates over time.

The shifting landscape of art calls for a reevaluation of the collecting process. A more flexible and adaptable approach is required, which embraces the ephemerality of certain artistic mediums. Rather than fixating on physical objects, this new paradigm emphasises capturing moments, experiences, and processes. It seeks to document the essence of an artwork, even if that essence lies in its ephemeral nature, as demonstrated so perfectly by Phoebe Cummings’ Deepfake Eden, the ephemeral sculpture made of unfired clay which Arcual commissioned for Art Basel.

In collecting ephemeral artworks, galleries, museums and art institutions can explore innovative methods to preserve the intangible and fleeting aspects of artistic creation. This might involve archiving photographs, videos, or audio recordings that capture the essence of an artwork. It could also entail documenting the artist's process, providing insight into the transient and transformative nature of their practice.

Stay tuned for more from Arcual Blog!