# Sign Your Work

**Published by:** [MightyMoose](https://paragraph.com/@mightymoose/)
**Published on:** 2023-07-26
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@mightymoose/sign-your-work

## Content

An artists signature whether that is their own unique style or how they write their name has long helped (at least in theory) to give assurance to collectors of the authenticity of the artworks they are buying. But, these signatures hold with them some trepidation as they can and have been forged throughout history. There have even been some famous or perhaps better said imfamous forgeries as well as forgers. https://www.thecollector.com/famous-forgers-in-art/of well known artists both in styles and signatures over the centuries. So much so that there are specialists whom are paid vast amounts of money to certify a work as authentic. https://artrepreneur.com/journal/authenticating-art/However, these specialists have gotten it wrong on occasion(some think many times). The forgeries are a real issue, one that the traditional art market does not seem to want to really admit to the extent of the issue or their inability to fix the issue. https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/made-you-look-review-barry-avrich-1234913471/Now for a system which is estimated to have a total market to be worth around 67 billion dollars, and have these persistant concerns for those buying would seem to be of huge concern. But, there is little collectors can do apart from trying to become as savy and knowledgeable personally to stop this train...or could there be another way? Enter the blockchain. Cryptoart is a growing market and is doing some incredible things for artists. Trustless-onchain royalty payments being a huge advancement, which has been long ignored by the art galleries and the industry as a whole. But the technology is not just helping the artist through royalties and creating a global market which can now explore artists, it is also empowering the collector. Conlan (https://twitter.com/conlan), one of the founders of Async wrote a really important article on hashing and how it solves secondary resale trust. Find it here: https://beta.cent.co/conlan/+lx3wsh Conlan’s article points to an important innovation that Cryptoart has brought to the art market. Wallet signatures. With blockchain technologies data hounds are finding it easier and easier to create compiled information as tracking info is now readily available for anyone who wants to investigate. A site which is tapping into this newfound treasure trove of data to help artists and collectors both is RightClick https://rc.xyz/ This is the power behind the chain and has been used by such websites as Filtered.art which is allowing artists to compile all their minted works into one site which also gives customized filters for the artists to sort their works, not just by platforms but styles and types of art. Cryptoart.io is a site which compiles top sales in the cryptoart space along with a valuation of each artists work based on current sales records. All from the data openly available on the ethereum chain. This data is readily available because artists are signing their work. Not in the classic sense but in the digital sense. When an artist uses their wallet to sign a work as they put it on the ethereum chain they are creating a traceable record which when used properly creates an unforgeable record. https://www.codementor.io/@yosriady/signing-and-verifying-ethereum-signatures-vhe8ro3h6 As more and more collectors and new artists come into the Cryptoart space the technology should be highlighted and shared so that both the artist and the collector understand the power of this new trustless system of authentication. Considering the forgery issue which the traditional art market has long been unable to solve the importance of this new technology cannot be overstated. When you take something as important as authentication and you decentralize and automate it you take the power of third parties and give it back to the artist and the collector. Now, when the technology is used an artist and collectors can point to the signature and as Conlan pointed out the hash as proof of authenticity of which cannot be forged. Data and authentication secured by technology giving all parties involved the peace of mind that the data doesn’t lie and thus the artwork is indeed authentic. So for you new artists coming into the space, decide on the wallet you want to use and educate yourselves on what method the platform you want to tokenize on uses. Not all platforms support artists signing their minted work with THEIR wallet. Some have a hybrid and some don't even let you decide on if you want to sign with your wallet or the platforms. Understanding the basics of what you are doing and the power of a trustless and decentralized authenitcated work sets the stage for a new paradigm in artist and collector relations, but both need to know what is happening so they can properly value and engage with this new technology. If you are a new collector educate yourself of wallet signature and hash, understand what the different platforms offer and how to pass on ownership to the next collector after you. Always remember. . . to sign your work

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