ARE THEY CRAZY?
Fine Art Database (FAD) is a for-profit company attempting to collate information from every art exhibition that has occured in America from 1800 to today. The copyright-free information from several hundred thousand catalogs will be arranged by exhibition date, artist, artwork, exhibitor and collector. The database is made available to the public for free (explaining the use of the .org extension allowed for for-profits with a charitable bent) and an enhanced version through the purchase of a subscription plan.
DOESN’T THE SMITHSONIAN ARCHIVES DO THIS?
The Smithsonian archives is attempting a similar mission to the one stated above. But, as a non-profit they have finite resources to focus on the task at hand. By developing FAD as a for-profit company, our subscription-base will support the important work of documenting American art. While NOT tax deductible, our subscription fees will be used to continue this seemingly endless task.
WHO MADE THIS SITE AND WHY?
FAD was started in 2018 by Bill Indursky (William Eric Indursky) to make a living at what he loves best: researching AMERICAN ART. He has been developing websites and digital resources since 1998. Bill has created one of the largest vintage, antique and design websites in the world (V&M 50k+ items : 2006-2013), one of the most built out single artist archives ever on the net (http://emilcarlsen.org : 2006-today) and has developed several precursor versions to this site like Classicalrealist.org (2005-2008) which tracked more than 250 traditional art schools and their students.
CAN ANYONE HELP?
As a for-profit company we are governed by strict labor and employment laws. We will not ask people to work for free. However, you may give some time as a private citizen to our company with the explicit and clear understanding that you are NOT an employee and are NOT entitled to any compensation. Giving time is not a factor that will be considered for any open employment opportunity with the company. If we believe that any person is giving substantial amounts of time to us, we might request that they cease giving…as we stated we will not ask people to work for free. Any person who wants to give time must sign an affidavit stating they understand these terms.
You may give catalogs or exhibition record books to build our storehouse. Please note that giving catalogs is NOT TAX DEDUCTIBLE and NO RECEIPTS will be issued. No shipping compensation will be offered. We will accept printed matter as space allows and if the work is not a duplicate of one in the company’s collection. We will accept auction catalogs, exhibition catalogs from private and public institutions, books and art magazines. PLEASE CONTACT US FIRST before giving any physical materials. Email Bill Indursky at bill@designlifenetwork.com. The company has the right to dispose of the items sent as they see fit, including, but not limited to, re-giving the item to other companies or non-profits, selling them, or throwing them out.
APPRAISALS & REPRESENTATIONS
FAD does not appraise artworks and does NOT hold any legally binding appraisal credentials. Therefore, if anyone from the organization offers a “best guess opinion” about an art work, the organization and it’s agents can not be held responsible for their personal opinion.
FAD accepts no legal responsibility for any commercial implications for the information contained within the database. The archive was established solely for study and research purposes and has never been intended to have any commercial implications unintended or otherwise.
IMAGE RIGHTS & FAIR USE
FAD’s databases are obtained from many sources and are intended primarily for research and educational purposes. Information that is gathered from all the catalogs and printed material are only those that fall under FACTS NOT GOVERNED BY COPYRIGHT. Certain works may be protected by copyright, trademark, or related interests not governed by the Fine Art Databases. Permission will be granted only to the extent of our ownership of the rights relating to your particular interest. The responsibility for ascertaining whether any additional rights exist, and for obtaining all necessary permissions, remains with the researcher. Images used in this database are not protected by copyright law in America (images of works by artists who have been dead for 70 years or more). Any images of works sent to use directly by the current owner and with their permission may also appear in the database.
PROVENANCE RESEARCH, ERRORS & REMOVALS
FAD actively seeks to build the complete provenance of works of art, artist, exhibitions, exhibitors and collectors displayed with in it. If you own, have owned or have sold any of the works listed we would appreciate hearing from you.
If you found an error in our research, please reach out and let us know and we are happy to correct it with proof.
If your name is listed within our provenance records and you prefer to remain anonymous, please contact us and we will restrict the display of your name.
CIRCA DATE ERRORS & DISAGREEMENTS
Our system requires each work to have a creation date listed. As information is discovered about a work the circa creation date is updated. If you believe one of our dates to be inaccurate, we encourage you to contact us with the correct date and support information. As our resource grows we are reviewing each record’s date and updating them with the reasons for each circa choice.
PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF PAGES
The site is constantly changing and updating. To review a page that was previously posted please consult http://archive.org for earlier copies of the site.
HOURS
FAD is available online 24 hours/day. There is no physical access granted to our offices without prior permission. To request access contact: Bill Indursky bill@designlifenetwork.com.
CONTACT US
Bill Indursky, CEO & Chief Researcher
bill@designlifenetwork.com
Mailing Address (Virtual Office):
Fine Art Database
266 West 21st Street
Suite 4E
New York, NY 10011