For an industry bound by tradition, things are moving — relatively — fast. Discussion has centred on two possible ways forward. Some in the industry are pro-blockchain, a decentralised digital ledger to which data is added in chronological “blocks”; some lean more towards the power of AI. Anne Bracegirdle, a photography specialist at Christie’s, is among blockchain’s evangelists. She sees it as one way to put more information into the hands of clients who are frustrated with the market. “They will ask things like, ‘This piece sold for £50,000 last week and now it’s selling for £30,000. Why?’ ” Bracegirdle’s vision is of a single blockchain-based industry-wide registry that would record provenance, ownership, condition and value. “Clients could understand the market themselves,” she says. Right now, no complete record of fine-art ownership exists.

https://www.ft.com/content/07f0fbfa-e096-11e8-8e70-5e22a430c1ad