This fact is taken for granted for 'big ticket' items but many of us overlook the importance of knowing the history of a work we might buy in an craft shop, art auction, commercial gallery or even an art school exhibition. We don't consider ourselves 'collectors' but if we buy or sell art through any form of dealer they certainly do. As preparation for a lecture on this subject, I called a number of auction houses, galleries and framing shops that have ' clearance sales' of paintings they've framed but have not been paid for or picked up. Many of these businesses seemed suspicious when the word 'provenance' was mentioned but relaxed when it was made clear I was only collecting information to pass on to my students. Indeed, reputable art dealers maintain meticulous records of their transactions to protect their artists, clients and themselves, and to provide future curators with contact information when there's need for a retrospective exhibition of an artist.
Art dealers are concerned with the past history and future direction of an artwork.
Unfortunately many buyers aren't bothered about provenance, especially on inexpensive items. We assume knowledge of an artwork's history is only important to public institutions or for major purchases. We never consider that 'nice little piece' we picked up at an art school end of year exhibition as the first step of an emerging artist's journey, one that may lead to their fame and our fortune. Whenever we buy directly from an artist, either from their studio or through a gallery or agent, we're the first link in the artwork's chain of ownership. When a work is purchased at exhibition, the dealer records the buyer's name, the title of the exhibit, its catalogue number and all other pertinent information.