Let's have a look at how you can assemble a team that can responsibly manage and carry out the tasks of a catalog raisonné project.
To preserve the integrity of the artist and the authenticity of his work, a careful scientific evaluation must be made. The work on a catalogue raisonné requires a great deal of diligence and, at various points, intellectual brilliance. The catalogue raisonné creation also requires great organizational skills, so that the long-term production process goes as smoothly and time is used efficiently.
Thus, independent, professional scholarly assistance is required in the preparation of a catalog raisonné, as the artist's work must be categorized and objectively evaluated.
The personnel preparing the catalog raisonné must assume the following responsibilities. It should be noted that one person may assume more than one of these following responsibilities:
- an editor is needed to ensure that the catalog raisonné is compiled according to internally established conventions.
- an art conservator who examines works and is responsible for correct terminology.
- a project manager who will oversee the project and manage the progress of the content of the catalog raisonné.
- a researcher who prepares the documentation and assesses the state of research on each work.
- a researcher who manages the research results and reproductions for subsequent retrieval, publication and preservation.
- a technical owner who selects the database best suited to the needs of the project and works with the database provider on the functional requirements and the aesthetics and structure of the website.
See: Loretta Würtenberger, Karl von Trott The Artist's Estate: A Handbook for Artists, Executors, and Heirs, Hatje Cantz Verlag, 2016.