Most frequently asked questions about the Price Database: Fine Art

1. What is the Price Database: Fine Art?

The Price Database: Fine Art contains over 4 million illustrated fine art auction records dating back to 1985 from over 500 auction houses around the world, including Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, Dorotheum, Lempertz, Tajan, Piasa and many others

The database stores the following information on each auction lot:

 Artist's Name
 Title
 Year
 Medium
 Size
 Miscellaneous information (signature, for example)
 Auction House
 Auction Specialist
 Phone Number of Auction House
 Estimate for the Work
 Selling Price
 And, unless it is unavailable, an image

Images do not come with the Researcher Yearly and the One-day Pass.

2. How do I subscribe to the Price Database: Fine Art?

Click on the heading “Price Database” in the grey bar across the top of any artnet page. Here you will find information on the Price Database: Fine Art, in addition to information on other artnet products and services. The tab labeled “Price Database Fine Art and Design” is where you will find information for the Price Database: Fine Art. If you wish to subscribe or view additional information including pricing and subscription options, you can click the large Subscribe Now button at the bottom of the page. Please click this button to begin the subscription process.

Step 1:	Select a Type of Subscription This link will take you to the first step of the subscribing process: “Select a Type of Subscription.” Here you will see each the three separate subscription types, Monthly Renewing Subscriptions, Annual Subscriptions and Imageless subscriptions. On this page, you must choose one subscription level and then click the orange Add to Cart button located under the subscription you wish to purchase. For Institutional (greater than 900 searches per year) and IP restricted accounts, please contact us at 212-497-9700, x373 or email auction-sales@artnet.com.
Step 2:	Review Your Order This step will help you review the services you have requested to purchase. If you wish to remove a service, simply click the appropriate box in the “Remove” column and click the orange Update Cart button. If you wish to make further purchases, select the desired service from the beige “Add Another Service” box. When you have reviewed your final selection, please click the orange Next button.
Step 3:	Enter your Billing Information The third step of the registration process will ask for your billing information. Any field marked with a star is required to continue the process. Please enter a valid email address so that we can contact you in the event that your credit card expires. The Username and Password must be a minimum of four characters. The Password hint will be given to you in the future if you forget your password. Please be sure that your username, password and password hint are all different, or you will not be able to continue. You must also confirm that you have reviewed and that you accept artnet’s Terms and Conditions. Click Next at the bottom of the page to go on to the next step. If you wish to cancel the transaction, please click the “Cancel This Sign Up” link. If you have missed a required field, or have entered a username that is already in use, you will be asked to fix the fields highlighted in yellow before you continue on to the next step.
Step 4:	Review and Complete your Order On this page you will see a summary of the services you selected and the billing information you entered. Please review carefully. If any information is inaccurate or missing, click the Edit Info button to go back to the billing page and then edit changes. If everything is correct, please hit the Purchase button at the bottom to charge your credit card and finalize your order.
Step 5:	Print Receipt Once you have purchased your order you will be taken to a confirmation page that you can print for your records and an email will be sent to verify your first monthly charge. Click Continue to go to your Member Services Home and begin using your service. *Note: If you already have a username and password and wish to purchase another subscription, simply login with your existing username and password and click on the type of subscription that you want under “Buy other Services” – this will take you through a similar sign-up process without requiring you to create a new username and password.

3. How do I perform a search?

The best way to conduct a Price Database: Fine Art search is to enter the least amount of information possible, and then narrow the search down as needed. The two basic criteria for a search are either an artists’ name or the name of an auction house. You must select at least one of these to complete a search.



Step 1:	Enter either an artist name or an auction house. The artist name may be entered in three ways: A) Search using an artist's first and last name, for example, Pablo Picasso. B) Search using the artist's first initial and last name, for example, P. Picasso. C) Search by last name, ie. Picasso. Upon entering the third character in the artist or auction house field, you will receive a list of artists or auction houses that match the text you’ve entered. As you enter more characters, the list of suggestions will narrow. Once you’ve entered all known characters, you can use your mouse to scroll and select the artist or auction house for which you were searching. Once you’ve chosen your selection, you can continue entering any additional information into the remainder of the search form before clicking the “Check the number of results” button at the bottom of the form. After clicking “Check the number of results”, a number will appear to the right of this button. If this number is more than 100, you will need to further narrow the search. If this number is less than 100, scroll down and click “view results” and the bottom of the screen.
Step 2:	Next, select the media of the work, such as installations, paintings, photographs, prints, sculptures, design or works on paper. Next, click the “check # of results” button to ensure that the number of sale results is manageable. *Note: Please be aware that sale results are displayed 100 sales per page. Each time that you scroll to the next page of 100 sales, this uses an extra search. You may wish to keep this in mind when narrowing the search.
Step 3:	If the number of results is again too high, try entering a date range of when the work was sold. You may use the pop up calendar to select a date or you can manually enter the date. From: 4/1/1995 To: 4/30/2000 You may also perform a more advanced search, entering even more details. Performing an Advanced Search: For even more detailed searches, you may fill in the following fields: Media: Such as: drawings, installations, paintings, photographs, prints, sculptures, design, works on paper. If it is a drawing on paper, you should check both of drawings and works on paper. You can refine your search by entering a specific medium in the “Medium” field. Be sure any medium you enter is spelled exactly as it appears in the auction catalog. *Note: You may search multiple fields at one time such as the paintings and prints of Mary Cassatt. Title: One or more words separated by spaces that you know appear in the title of the work. For example, if the title were "Reclining Figure", you may enter in either the word Reclining or Figure or both. This is not a keyword search – such as “figurative” – it will only look for exact word matches in the title. If you think that auction house might have listed the title in a different language then your own, you may want to leave this blank. *Note: Do not include punctuation or any words that consist of fewer than three letters. Title searches may not be complete as there are many instances where multiple languages have been used to identify the same work. You may enter in an unlimited number of characters. Year of Work: The year or range of years in which the artist created the work. If you enter in one field only, such as "from," it will start the search from that year forward. For example if you put 1999 in the “from” field it will search from 1999 to the present day. Size Range: The dimensions of the work (in inches or centimeters). This may not seem consistent because it is the size listed by the auction house and may be different than you expect. Using a range of sizes is often the best way to find what you are looking for. Price Range: A range of prices that the work sold for in U.S. dollars. If you are looking for a work sold in Euros, the database will convert the price based on the conversion rates of the date it sold. *Note: The price of some works is listed as "Bought In," which means they did not meet their reserve price and therefore will not appear in your results as a price parameter. Sale Date: The date the work was sold from the auction house. If you know the exact date, you can enter the same date in the To and From Sale Date fields. Sale Title: One or more words separated by spaces that you know appear in the sale title. (e.g., Abstract and Contemporary Art, Important Modern and Impressionist paintings, etc.) This search field will only look for exact word matches in the sale title. If you are uncertain of the sale title, leave this blank. Sale Number: The number used by the auction house to designate the sale. Lot Range: You may use these two search fields to search within a range of lot numbers. To view a single lot, enter the lot number in both of the fields. Catalogue Raisonné (prints and photos only): The author and catalog raisonné reference number can be entered for prints and photos. This field is useful if you are searching for works in numerous editions, such as prints or photographs.

4. I already have a subscription but I am having trouble logging in. What can I do?

Here is a brief list of common login issues and solutions:



1.	Is the caps lock key currently turned on? Your login information is case specific. Please make sure that you are using the correct letter cases for your password.
2.	What time and date does your computer’s clock currently show? If the time or date is incorrect artnet will not be able to log you in for security reasons.
3.	Have you recently cleared your cookies and cache of temporary data? artnet uses what are called session cookies to recognize that you have logged into the site. Depending on your personal browsing patterns you may need to clear your cookies in order to login to artnet.
4.	You may need to configure your browser to have the correct security settings. Please follow this guide to show you how to turn these settings on.

5. What constitutes a search?

Once you have clicked on the orange “View First 100 Results” button it counts as a search unless you have zero results.




Please be aware that sale results are displayed 100 sales per page. Each time that you scroll to the next page of 100 sales, this uses an extra search. You may wish to keep this in mind when narrowing the search.

6. How does the search form interpret empty fields?

The search form assumes you want to search all possible values for fields you leave blank. For example, if the only field you fill in is Artist's Name, then the search form will retrieve all auction lots for that artist regardless of other criteria, such as the auction house, where that work was offered.

If you fill in only one of a pair of fields, such as in Price Range, the search will assume a minimum or maximum value for the empty field. For example, if you were to enter 2500 in Price “from” and nothing in Price “to”, the search form would return matching works with a list price greater than or equal to $2500.

Generally speaking, the less information you enter in the search form, the greater the number of possible matching auction lots. It is recommended that you enter the least amount of information possible, and then slowly narrow your search by using the grey “Check the number of results” button.

7. What if I can't find a particular work?

After submitting the search form, you will be presented with up to 10 pages (100 lots) of matching auction lots. If you are searching for a specific lot that does not appear among those listed, try refining your search by adding more criteria and then submitting the search form again.

The Price Database: Fine Art includes a record for works that have come to auction in auction houses dating back to 1985. The database excludes works that fail to meet basic attribution and price criteria that artnet.com has defined. artnet.com does not keep a record of:

 Single prints, photographs, posters, books, and ceramics with a low estimate below $300.00
 Other works such as Japanese prints, pairs, sets, suites, or portfolios of prints with a low
estimate below $500.00.
 Artists' sketchbooks or albums with a low estimate below $2000.00
 Artists known as Master or Monogrammist with a low estimate below $2000.00
 Artists known only by initials, nationality, or period with a low estimate below $2000.00
 Artists with a qualified name. e.g. after, attributed to, follower of, circle of, school of, manner of,
student of, studio of, style of, workshop of, with a low estimate below $2000.00
 Incomplete suites or portfolios of prints with a low estimate below $10,000.00

8. Once I have my results, what does "Bought In" mean when it appears in the "Sold For" field?

The price of some works is listed as "Bought In," which means they did not meet their reserve price (the minimum price to sell agreed upon by the seller and the auction house) and the work either did not sell or was sold to the auction house. If this occurs the price will not appear as a price parameter.

9. I only signed up for a one-month Price Database: Fine Art account, but my credit card has been
    billed this month. Why was I charged again?

As stated in the “Service Description,” both the Individual Rollover and the Professional Rollover automatically renew every month. There is no one-month subscription. If you would like to only use the Price Database: Fine Art for one month, you must cancel the service before the renew date listed on your Member Services page. If you cancel before the renew date, you will be able to access the Price Database until the renew date, but your subscription will not be renewed.

10. I logged into my artnet account, but my Price Database: Fine Art account is no longer listed
      under “My Current Subscriptions.” How can I reactivate it?

If there was a problem with your credit card (e.g. it expired, you were over your credit limit, etc.) and we were unable to renew your service, your subscription will automatically be removed from your list of current services after the normal renew date. To restore service, you must reactivate your subscription to the Price Database: Fine Art. To do so, please log in to your account and click on the orange Renew button on your Member Services page and it will prompt you to update your billing information and renew your service. Your credit card will be charged at this time. If your card is about to expire, a warning email will be automatically sent to notify you.

11. In addition to my normal monthly charge, there is a second charge of a different amount on my
      credit card. What is this second charge?

If you go over your allotted monthly searches (10 per month for Individual Rollover, 30 for Professional Rollover) you are automatically charged for each additional search. If you have an Individual Rollover account, it is $3.50 for each additional search. If you have a Professional Rollover account, it is $3.25 each for the additional search. The extra charges appearing on your credit card statement are for the previous month (i.e. your bill will show your monthly fee for the current month and the extra charges from the previous month). Local sales taxes may apply.

12. How do I update my credit card information?

You can update your credit card information online.



Step 1:	Click the “login” link at the top of the artnet homepage and log into your account. This will bring you to the Member Services Home page.
Step 2:	On this page, you will see a box titled “My Account”, under which you will see “Update Account Info”. Under this heading you can select “Update Billing/Contact Info” to change your billing information.
Step 3:	Enter your updated information and click the orange button labeled “Update” to save all changes. Your information will be updated and you will be taken back to the Member Services Home page. *If your subscription has recently closed due to billing issues, please click on the orange Renew button listed under the name of your previous subscription and enter updated billing information.

13. How to I change my password?

You can change your password online.



Step 1:	Click the “login” link at the top of the artnet homepage and log into your account. This will bring you to the Member Services Home page.
Step 2:	On the Member Services page, you will see a box titled “My Account”, under which you will see “Update Account Info”. Under this heading select “Change Password”
Step 3:	Enter your new password and new password hint and click the orange button labeled “Change Password” to save all changes. Your information will be updated and you will be taken back to the Member Services Home page.

14. How do I cancel my service?

You can cancel any self-renewing Price Database: Fine Art subscriptions purchased online by logging into your Member Services page.


Step 1:

Click the “login” button on the upper right corner of the artnet homepage and log into your account with your username and password. This will bring you to the Member Services page.

Step 2:

On the Member Services page, you will see under the headline “My Current Subscriptions” all currently active services (i.e. Individual Rollover or Professional Rollover). Beneath each service you will see a “cancel” button. Click on the “cancel” button and then confirm by clicking OK in the pop-up window. Your subscription status will then say "Set to be Cancelled" with the phrase “Subscription Cancels: mm/dd/yyyy.” You will then be able to use your remaining Price Database: Fine Art searches until the cancellation date listed. *Note: Please be aware that between the date the subscription is cancelled and the end of the billing period in which it was cancelled, you will be able to use the service. Any searches over the amount you have available on that account are still subject to overage charges. If you incur overages after cancellation, your card will be charged one final time for the overages on the date the account closes (the date listed on your Member Services page beneath the name of the subscription after the account is cancelled.)

15. What is artnet’s refund policy?

Refunds are only issued within three months of the charge date. Charges older than three months are considered indisputable. The maximum refund, regardless of reason, is three months worth of a subscription.

Refunds are granted in the instance that:

1. artnet has erroneously charged a client.
2. A client has requested cancellation by phone or email and it has been recorded in artnet’s
Phone Records but the account was not cancelled.

Refunds are not issued when:

1. A client is unaware of the automatic renewal policy on any applicable subscriptions.
2. A client is unhappy with the quality of the service, information in the database, or timing of
the market alerts.
3. A client has used the subscription (such as having done Price Database: Fine Art searches).
4. A Market Alert subscriber fails to enter the artists into her/his profile and no alerts are sent.
5. A Market Alert subscriber does not give a valid email address.
6. A customer has more than one Price Database: Fine Art account but each is under a different
username.
7. A client wants to upgrade Price Database: Fine Art accounts, but has used the original account prior
to the upgrade request.

16. Do I need JavaScript turned on in my browser? If so, how do I do this?

JavaScript
artnet uses JavaScript to enhance the user's browsing experience. Most common browsers (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox) already have JavaScript turned on by default so there's no configuration necessary. If you suspect that JavaScript was turned off in your browser, please follow these instructions to turn it on:

With Internet Explorer 6 and 7 (Windows):

1. Click on the Tools menu.
2. Select Internet Options.
3. Click on the Security tab.
4. Click on the button Custom Level... located at the bottom of the window.
5. Scroll down until you see Scripting. It should be near the bottom of the list.
6. Under Active scripting, make sure the option Enable is chosen.
7. Click OK. Click OK again to close the Internet Options.


With Internet Explorer 5 (Macintosh):

1. Click on Preferences in the Edit menu.
2. Click on Web Content under the Web Browser option.
3. Under Active Content, click the checkbox Enable scripting.
4. Make sure Java is enabled.
5. Click OK.


Firefox 2.x.x and 3.x.x (Windows):

1. Open Firefox
2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
3. Click on the Content icon.
4. Check the box next to Enable JavaScript.
5. Click the Advanced button to open the Advanced JavaScript Options box.
6. Check the boxes under Allow scripts to section that you want to allow.
7. Click OK. Click OK again to close the Options box.


With Firefox 2.x.x and Higher (Macintosh):

1. Click on Firefox and select Preferences.
2. Click on the Content tab.
3. Ensure that Enable JavaScript is checked.
4. Close the window.
5. Quit/exit Mozilla Firefox after you change settings and then re-start the application.


With Safari (Macintosh):

1. Click on Safari, then select Preferences.
2. Click on the Security tab.
3. Under Web Content, ensure that Enable plug-ins and Enable JavaScript are checked.
4. Close the window.
5. Quit/exit Safari after you change settings and then re-start the application.

17. How can I find out what auctions are coming up?

In addition to the Price Database: Fine Art, artnet.com provides a number of related auction services, including:

Upcoming Auctions: This service provides the most important recent auction catalogues for the current and upcoming month in their entirety. This is a free service.

To view limited upcoming auctions, click on the “auctions” tab from the grey navigation bar at the top of any page on artnet. Next click on the “Upcoming auctions” link from the auctions menu at the top left portion of the screen. A list of auctions organized by date will be displayed.

If you are still having trouble, please email or call +1-800-4-ARTNET option 4.
Our customer service is available as follows: