The ID-Art mobile app helps to identify stolen cultural property, reduce illicit trafficking, and increase the chances of recovering stolen items.
Publicly available, the App introduces new audiences to INTERPOL’s Stolen Works of Art database, which contains more than 52,000 objects from 134 member countries.
ID-Art can be used by police officers, custom officials, the general public, private collectors, art dealers, journalists, students or art enthusiasts to:
- Access the INTERPOL database of Stolen Works of Art to check if an object is registered as stolen
- Create an inventory of private art collections
- Report an item as stolen
- Report cultural sites potentially at risk or illicit excavations
This quick and easy mobile access strengthens the combined response to safeguarding our common heritage.
You can download ID-Art free of charge for Apple and Android mobile devices.
Search the Stolen Works of Art database
You can check if a cultural object is listed in the Stolen Works of Art database by searching manually or visually.
- Search manually by entering details such as object type, medium, technique, title, artist’s name, or country of provenance.
- Search visually by taking a photo of the cultural object. ID-Art uses cutting-edge image-recognition software to match the photo against items recorded in the database.
You can save your manual searches, which will mark them with the date and time when the search was taken. The timestamps on these saved searches may be used as proof that the necessary due diligence checks were carried out, in line with the UNIDROIT convention.
Create an inventory of your private art collections
Whether a museum curator, auction house representative, private collector, artist or member of the public, you can create your own catalogue of cultural objects: ‘My Inventory’.
You can capture images and record features of your own works of art in ‘Object-ID’ format. This is the international standard for describing cultural objects, to facilitate their identification in the event of theft.
Report an item as stolen
The App allows users to report potential stolen items to INTERPOL if their manual or visual search matches objects in the database. INTERPOL will then follow up with the reports as appropriate, transmitting the information to national law enforcement authorities if necessary.
If one of your inventory items is stolen, you can export your ‘Object-ID’ information updated in the App. Using this information to report the theft to law enforcement authorities can greatly enhance the chances of recovery.
Report sites at risk
Those on the frontlines of protecting heritage can document the state of heritage sites, including historical monuments, archaeological and underwater sites.
The App enables also users to record the geographical location, a detailed description, and images in order to capture the condition of a site.
The resulting ‘Object ID’ can be used as evidence or basis for reconstruction if ever the site is looted, destroyed or has been a victim of urban vandalism.
Users can also report the illicit excavations of archeological and paleontological objects to national authorities.
How to access the App
It is available in INTERPOL's official languages: Arabic, English, French and Spanish.
The App was developed thanks to founding from the INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World.
Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
The App has been developed in line with international standards and best practices, and made available as an additional tool to access the INTERPOL Stolen Works of Art database.
If you would like to check items inside Stolen Works of Art database through ID-Art app you do not need to log in. No username or password is required.
INTERPOL cannot read any ‘Object ID’ or ‘Site Cards’ created by users; only those reported as stolen inside the App.
You can read the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy.
