The Importance of Artwork Certification

How art certification is evolving the modern art market and why it is more important than ever for artists to protect their work.

by Daphne Porras

What is artwork certification?
As the industry expands with and adapts to todayʼs rapid technological
developments, artwork certification has become a necessary tool utilized by
artists, collectors and buyers that is evolving the way the art market operates.
Artwork certification documents the authenticity of artwork, providing assurance
to owners and collectors that the art is genuine and giving artists confidence in
their ability to prove the legitimacy of their work in the future. Certificates can be
both physical and digital, and can be personalized for a collector or buyer. A
certification records the artwork itself along with important details such as its:

Date
Category
Edition
Medium
Dimensions
Signature

These details are stored along with an image of the art to create a comprehensive
record of the work. As the art is sold and resold, art certification provides its
official history of ownership and guarantee to legitimacy. Artwork certification
gives artists the power to manage their own future as a caretaker of their work,
and keep all documentation of their art in one secure place.

How is artwork certification changing todayʼs art market?
Artwork certification has changed the notions of value within the context of selling
and buying artwork. As artwork becomes accessible to the massive digital realm
we now exist in, art theft is becoming a larger risk and the guarantee of
provenance is becoming increasingly valuable. Any artwork online could be
reproduced as easily as a screenshot- and watermarks only go so far to protect
an artistʼs claim on the work. For buyers and collectors, it is necessary to be
careful and skeptical about an artworkʼs originality to avoid any deceitful
investments. Further measures of protection are more necessary than ever to
guarantee that buyers and collectors are investing in genuine pieces and that original artists are the only ones profiting off of their work.

What is the importance of artwork certification?
Artwork certification has developed as a response to these risks, and has become an industry standard to protect the hard work of legitimate artists.

Why is artwork certification is important for artists?
Artwork certification provides a number of benefits to any artist. Within art sales,
certifying artwork increases its value and desirability to buyers and collectors by
providing official documentation of consumer protection. Having your art certified
gives confidence to a buyerʼs investment, proving the artistʼs integrity, professionalism and commitment to quality. Taking this measure of security
establishes reliability and trust in order to encourage valuable, long-term
relationships between an artist and their clients.

By creating and securing official records of artwork, artists can rest assured that
their work is protected against any potential fraud and gives them (and only them)
the authority to decide where and how they distribute their art. In any cases of
dispute over ownership or artist origins, certification gives them assurance of
legal protection and official records of ownership history.

How does Tagsmart work to protect art?
It is important to register your art to a reputable art certification service that is
committed to protecting artists and their work. Luckily, Tagsmart was created to
provide trustworthy art certification services, making it easy to register and
manage your work. Along with fully-managed, transferable certifications,
Tagsmart provides blockchain options and secure DNA tags to identify and link
artwork to digital records. Through Tagsmart, artists can track certificate statuses,
monitor edition numbering, allow/disallow artwork sharing on social media, and
enable their gallery to issue certificates on their behalf.

Artwork certification is a crucial tool for artists to take advantage of, and Tagsmart
gives artists the ability to focus on their artistry with the peace of mind that their
work is legally protected and up to industry standards.

In todayʼs art industry, trusting your valuable and hard work with secure and efficient companies is more important than ever.