Getty Provenance Index Initiative

Provenance research—the study of ownership history of artworks and cultural objects—is central to the Getty Research Institute’s (GRI) mission to cultivate advanced knowledge of art and its varied histories. Established as one of the GRI’s foundational initiatives in the 1980s, the Getty Provenance Index® (GPI) provides global scholars with access to records that trace the origins, movements, and lineage of cultural artifacts, contributing to a global understanding of art and its shared cultural heritage.

The GPI is an active research initiative carried out by Getty staff that supports an evolving data resource with the same name. Drawing from documents in the GRI’s collections and other international sources, the data provided by the GPI enables research in art collecting, market history, and ownership studies. Presented as linked open data to enable advanced research through computational methods, the GPI empowers scholars to explore patterns in the movement and social lives of artworks on a larger scale.

• Enhanced Accessibility: The transition from standalone digital records to linked open data offers scholars access to interoperable data points that can be associated with other bodies of cultural heritage information.
• Advances in Computational Research: By providing structured data modeled according to internationally accepted standards, the GPI allows for large-scale analysis of provenance data, helping researchers uncover patterns in art ownership, circulation, and historical trends.
• Commitment to Research: The GPI represents an ongoing research endeavor that is constantly expanding in scope and refinement through the work of GRI staff. Unlike projects with a defined endpoint, the GPI is intended to evolve over time to meet the changing needs of scholars and cultural institutions. This commitment ensures the data remains relevant and continues to support cutting-edge research.
• Expanding Collaborations: The GPI actively partners with scholars and international institutions, fostering data exchange and collaborative research efforts to enrich the global landscape of provenance research.
• Public Reach: With over 12 million resources digitized and publicly accessible, the GPI advances research, education, and public engagement in the field of provenance and cultural heritage.

The GPI has a long history of supporting scholarship in art history, ownership, and the history of collecting and art markets. Since its establishment, the GPI has grown from a single project into an active core department within the GRI, integrating millions of primary source records.