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The world of art resale has long been associated with the shadow of fraud. Against this backdrop, two researchers from the University of Córdoba in Spain decided five years ago to tackle the problem head-on. Building upon the company DigitArt, they created Pukkart, a technology platform specializing in the physical and digital certification of artworks and other goods.
“What we do is give a work of art an identity card. We can’t certify, obviously, whether an older painting was done by Murillo or Velázquez, but we can certify the authorship of new works by whoever registers them and, furthermore, ensure the ownership of existing works,” says Enrique García, a blockchain expert with a PhD in Computer Engineering who is one of the founders and the technical director of Pukkart.
This platform has developed a system that links each artwork to a unique identity by combining a physical tag with advanced security measures and an immutable digital record on the blockchain. They have already applied their technology at the Julio Romero de Torres Museum in Córdoba. Their clients are primarily artists, art galleries, private museums, and public institutions.
The procedure used by Pukkart incorporates a double verification system, both physical and digital, using technologies such as QR and NFC, which facilitates immediate verification of authenticity. Furthermore, the platform allows for the recording of the piece’s complete history, including ownership transfers, restorations, loans, and exhibitions.
“In practice, any buyer, gallery, or institution can verify in real time that the artwork is original and consult its certified history (previous owners, interventions, or participation in events) with the guarantee that this data has not been modified,” says Joaquín Aguilar, PhD in Computer Science and CEO of the company. In this way, all information is protected under security standards aligned with European regulations on digital identity and data protection.
Following the acquisition of a stake in Pukkart by the cybersecurity technology company Innovasur, the founders now plan to extend its applications to other high-end products such as wine. “You can spend thousands of euros on a bottle of wine you’ve never tasted before and have no way of knowing if it’s genuine,” they note.
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