Every object has a history. Ardelia helps trace it.
Ardelia builds AI research tools that help museums, auction houses, scholars and families trace the histories of artworks across archives, languages and decades of scattered records.
Founder
Why I founded Ardelia
A friend of mine set out to trace a family artwork stolen during the Second World War. He could afford the researchers and lawyers it took. Most families cannot, and most institutions don’t have the time to search thousands of scattered records by hand. Ardelia exists to put the best AI tools in the hands of the people who do this work, so that every lead is cited to its source and people, not machines, make the judgments.
Michael A. Santoro, Founder and CEO
As featured in
Presented at the German Lost Art Foundation Annual Conference, Magdeburg, 2026.
How it works
From the archive to the researcher’s desk.
Five steps, one in each room. Scroll to walk through.
Card cabinet. Photograph by 丘崈 · CC0, Wikimedia Commons.
- Collect
- Read
- Trace
- Verify
- Review
Purpose
Mission
Ardelia builds AI tools that make the histories of artworks easier to trace, helping museums, auction houses, scholars, and heirs establish provenance faster and with greater confidence.
Our approach
Our tools are designed to support provenance professionals, not replace them. We develop every product in close collaboration with the researchers, curators, and archivists who use them.
Access
Request a demo
Access to Ardelia is by pilot, on application. Tell us about your institution and your research, and we will be in touch.