Blog
The Importance of Pigments from a Painting Restoration Viewpoint
Today, fairly rigorous testing in the pre-production stages of new artist materials helps to ensure that conservators of contemporary art have at least some idea of how potentially never-before-used pigments might age/deteriorate in the near and far future. However, should one automatically assume that paintings created in the 20th – or even 21st – Centuries will necessarily compromise pigments or paint films that last longer than paint made in the 17th, 18th or 19th Centuries…?
Time To Upgrade Your Fine Art Security?
Like many, we were captivated by the news story of Naples police returning a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi to a museum that had not even realised the work had been stolen, highlighting yet another indirect threat Covid-19 poses to public and...
Fine Art Insurance Newsletter Published
Plowden & Smith’s Essential Fine Art Restoration Briefing for Professionals Working in the Fine Art and Specie Insurance sector, and their Policyholders
From Stone Carvings to Anish Kapoors: Condition Reporting Stories from our Specialists
Autumn heralds the start of a series of important auction house sales and major art fairs (this year, many of them taking place online). For us, this means one thing: Independent Condition Reporting season has arrived.
Condition reporting often takes our conservators away from the studio, resulting in fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpses into collections and collectors. Three of our conservators discuss their approach to condition reporting and share some of their favourite and most interesting condition reporting projects…
Why Antiques Are Even More Important to Interiors, Post Covid-19
Clare Pardy, Associate Director of specialist art and heritage Insurance firm, Hallett Independent reflects on the joy of antiques, and why their ability to lend comfort to a room – along with their ‘Green’ credentials – make them the perfect choice for post-Covid homes…
Expert Interview | Post Covid-19, What Next for the Art Market?
Melanie Gerlis, Financial Times; Louise Hamlin, Art Business Conference; Oliver Shuttleworth, fine art consultant; James Mayor, The Mayor Gallery and Arthur Byng Nelson, Harold Benjamin Solicitors discuss What Next for the Art market Post Covid-19
Will Coronavirus Forever Change the Chemical Compositions of Artworks?
With UK museums potentially due to begin reopening in July, a question being asked by the museum and conservation community on both sides of the Atlantic is whether more heavily disinfected galleries will pose a heightened threat to art.
Why is Dust Such a Risk for Museums in Lockdown?
Most people think of dust as being a result of human activity, therefore why is dust such an issue for museums at a time when they have no visitors and far fewer people in their buildings?
7 Key Points From The FT Weekend Webinar “The Shift to Online Art Fairs”
7 Key Points raised during the FT Weekend Webinar “The Shift to Online Art Fairs,” hosted by Melanie Gerlis with Loring Randolph, Director, Frieze NY and Garth Greenan, Garth Greenan Gallery
Post-Covid-19, What Next for Auctions?
Impartial Conditions Reports are Key in Transition to Online Sales. If the highest possible prices are to be achieved at online-only auctions, buyers must have complete confidence in the condition of what they are buying, highlighting the that important role of an independent condition report for all lots offered online.