Managing Inventory

Galexivo uses a transaction-log model for inventory. Rather than storing the current state of each artwork as a field you edit, it records every transaction that affects the work — purchase, sale, consignment, loan, exhibition, repair, disposal — and derives the current state from that history.

This means you have a complete audit trail by default. You can see not just where a work is now, but everywhere it has ever been.

Artworks vs art objects

Galexivo distinguishes two types of inventory:

Artworks are the gallery display items — the works you show in exhibitions, photograph for your site, and discuss with collectors. An artwork has an artist, a title, dimensions, medium, year, and price. It is what collectors see on your public site.

Art objects are the physical items in your warehouse. An artwork edition of 10 prints has one Artwork record and 10 Art Object records. A unique painting has one Artwork and one Art Object. The Art Object is what gets tracked through the transaction log — where is the physical item right now?

For most small galleries with unique works, this distinction is invisible. You add an artwork, and an art object is created automatically. The distinction matters when you work with editions, multiples, and prints.

Transaction types

Every state change in inventory is recorded as one of these transactions:

Transaction	What it means
Purchase	Gallery bought the work outright
Consignment in	Artist/owner entrusted the work for sale
Sale	Work sold to a collector
Return	Consigned work returned to owner
Loan out	Work loaned to another institution
Loan in	Work received on loan
Exhibition	Work included in a specific show
Repair	Work sent for restoration
Storage move	Work moved between locations
Disposal	Work deaccessioned (donated, destroyed, stolen)

Adding a transaction

Open any artwork, go to the History tab, and click Add transaction. Select the type, fill in the required fields, and save. The work’s current state updates immediately.

Some transactions generate documents automatically:

• Consignment in → generates a consignment agreement PDF (requires artist address and terms)
• Sale → generates a sale invoice and buyer receipt
• Loan out → generates a facility report template

Current state

The current state of an art object is always derived from its transaction history. The possible states are:

• Available — in gallery possession, for sale
• Not for sale — in gallery possession, not offered
• On consignment — with another gallery or dealer
• On loan — lent to an institution
• Sold — ownership transferred
• In repair — with restorer or framer
• In storage — in off-site storage
• Disposed — no longer in circulation

You cannot manually set the state. You add a transaction, and the state follows.

Bulk import

To import existing inventory from a spreadsheet, go to Inventory → Import → From CSV. Download the template, fill it in, and upload. Galexivo will flag:

• Duplicate titles by the same artist
• Missing required fields (title and artist are required)
• Price formatting issues

The import creates draft records that you review before committing. Nothing is saved until you click Confirm import.

Search and filter

The inventory list supports full-text search across title, artist name, and notes. You can filter by:

• Current state (available, sold, on loan, etc.)
• Artist
• Exhibition
• Location
• Price range
• Date added

Saved filters let you create views — for example, “available works under £5,000 not currently in an exhibition” — and return to them with one click.