As a body of work grows, memory becomes an unreliable archive. Titles blur together, dimensions are guessed, and the story of where a piece has been is reconstructed from old emails. An inventory replaces that guesswork with a single, consistent record, and it pays off every time you prepare an application, deliver work to a gallery or answer a query about a piece you made years ago.
A catalogue does not need specialist software. It needs a method you will keep using. This guide explains what to record, how to organise it and how to keep it accurate without turning it into a second job.
What a working inventory does for you
An inventory is the quiet infrastructure behind a professional practice. It tells you what exists, where it is, how big it is and what has happened to it. When an open call asks for dimensions in a specific order, or a dealer asks for a condition report, you can answer in minutes rather than days.
It also supports your public record. Exhibition histories, publications and other milestones are easier to assemble when each work is linked to the shows and texts it appeared in. A reliable catalogue turns a scattered practice into a documented one.
Choosing the fields you will actually use
The most common failure is an over-designed system. A record with fifty columns is abandoned within a month. Start with the fields you will genuinely update, and add more only when a real need appears.
Every work needs a unique identifier, a title, a year, the medium, the dimensions and the current location or status. Add the date of completion, the edition where relevant, and a note on framing or mounting. If the work is for sale, a price field and a sold or reserved status help, though commercial details should be kept separately if they are sensitive.
A simple numbering system
A stable number is the backbone of the whole catalogue. Choose a scheme and never reuse a number, even if a work is destroyed or given away. One common approach combines the year with a running sequence, so a code might read as the year followed by a running number such as 014. Another uses a short prefix for the series followed by a number. The exact scheme matters less than applying it consistently, because consistency is what lets you find a record years later.
Write the number on the back of the work, or on a label fixed to it, in a way that does not damage the surface. If a work moves between physical locations over time, the number stays with the work.
Recording images, dimensions and condition
Link at least one good photograph to every record. Use the documentation method you would use for an application, so the same images serve both purposes. Store a master file and a smaller reference copy.
Record dimensions in a fixed order and name the unit. A common convention is height by width by depth in centimetres, stated clearly, because a reader cannot tell which figure comes first unless you say so. For framed work, note both the image size and the framed size, since the two are often needed for different purposes.
A short condition note is worth its minute of effort. Record the date, anything notable such as a scratch, a repair or a change of frame, and a quick line on the work's state. This history protects both you and any gallery handling the piece.
Linking works to exhibitions and sales
The catalogue becomes far more useful when it connects to what happened around the work. For each exhibition, keep a separate record of the venue, dates, the works included and your role, whether that was a solo presentation, a group show or an open studio. Link each work to those records rather than repeating the details in every entry.
For sales, record the date, the buyer category if you keep one, and a price note, while respecting any confidentiality agreement. If a work is on loan or consignment, note where it is and when it is due back. These details answer the questions that galleries, insurers and assessors ask most often.
Keeping the catalogue accurate over time
Accuracy comes from small habits, not occasional big clean-ups. Update the record when the work is finished, not when you next remember. Log any change of location, condition or status as it happens, and date the entry so you can see the history.
Back up the catalogue in more than one place, and keep a simple way to export it, so you are never locked into a single tool. Once a year, spot-check a few records against the actual works and files. A catalogue is only as good as its consistency, and ten minutes of maintenance can save hours of reconstruction.
Practical checklist
- [ ] Give every work a unique identifier and never reuse a number.
- [ ] Record title, year, medium, dimensions, unit and current location.
- [ ] Keep the field list short and add columns only when a real need appears.
- [ ] Link at least one clear photograph and a reference copy to each record.
- [ ] Note image and framed dimensions separately where both apply.
- [ ] Keep short, dated condition notes for every change of state.
- [ ] Link works to exhibitions, loans and sales instead of repeating details.
- [ ] Back up the catalogue and spot-check records once a year.
Contributing to BGTC Voice
An organised catalogue is the foundation of a professional practice, and the methods that work are rarely written down. If you have built a system that survives a busy studio, from numbering schemes to condition tracking, BGTC Voice welcomes a clear account of how it works. Describe the method and the problems it solves, keep buyer and client details private, and give readers something they can adapt.