Art_Loss_Register
Art Loss Register
World's largest database of stolen art
The Art Loss Register (ALR) is the world's largest database of stolen art.[1] A computerized international database that captures information about lost and stolen art, antiques, and collectibles, the ALR is a London-based, independent, for-profit corporate offspring of the New York–based, nonprofit International Foundation for Art Research (IFAR).[2] The range of functions served by ALR has grown as the number of its listed items has increased. The database is used by collectors, the art trade, insurers, and law enforcement agencies worldwide.[3] In 1991, IFAR helped create the ALR as a commercial enterprise to expand and market the database. IFAR managed ALR's U.S. operations through 1997. In 1998, the ALR assumed full responsibility for the IFAR database, although IFAR retains ownership.[4] In 1992, the database comprised only 20,000 items, but it grew in size nearly tenfold during its first decade.[5][6]