Provenance & Verification
Legal-grade chain of custody for public art
Art Trackers combines NFC physical tagging with database-level immutable records to create a provenance chain that survives staff turnover, system migrations, and legal scrutiny. Every artwork gets a permanent AT-ID from the moment it is registered.
Immutable ownership records
Every provenance event — acquisition, transfer, loan, deaccession — is written to an append-only ledger. A PostgreSQL database trigger blocks any UPDATE or DELETE on ownership history. Once a record exists, it cannot be changed by anyone: not staff, not administrators, not Art Trackers itself.
NFC-linked physical verification
Each NFC tag is cryptographically bound to its artwork's permanent AT-ID record at the time of programming. Tapping the tag on any NFC-enabled smartphone retrieves the live artwork record — including the full provenance chain, current custodian, and condition history — with no app required.
Audit-ready provenance export
Generate a complete provenance dossier for any artwork in one click: ownership chain, verification events, condition reports, location history, and all associated documentation — formatted as a PDF ready for legal review, grant applications, or insurance purposes.
Public accessibility without accounts
Every registered public artwork has a permanent, public-facing URL. Community members can access the artwork's story — title, artist biography, acquisition history, and managing institution — by tapping the NFC tag or scanning the QR code. No login. No app to install.
Permanent AT-ID assigned at artwork registration
NFC tags cryptographically bound to artwork records
Append-only ownership history — no record can be deleted or altered
One-click provenance PDF export for audits and legal review
Public artwork pages accessible without login or app
Full NFC scan log retained as community engagement evidence