R.K. - Fine Art Solutions led a capacity-building seminar at the French corporate counsel association
In October 2022, I had the pleasure of co-hosting a seminar with art lawyer Cyrielle Gauvin at the French corporate counsel association ACE (Avocats conseils d’entreprise) entitled "The legal framework of the conservation profession: what about field realities?".
This capacity-building event aimed to help art lawyers understand the difference between the legal aspects involving French conservators and the reality of the profession. It also included an overview of how conservators view their work and their ethical and legal responsibilities.
I was also able to touch upon the less-discussed aspect in contemporary art of who owns the artwork and who has a final say in the work that can be done, depending on whose viewpoint it is: the collector or the artist. Whether the artist is living or has passed away but left clear instructions regarding how they wish their work to be conserved.
The ensuing exchanges with the online and in-person participants opened the door to further talks on the international aspects of conservation and a conservator's job. Amongst them was how, while there is a single universally accepted code of ethics, specificities regarding the actual work may vary according to different cultures.
Renata Kaminker – Fine Art Solutions returns as a guest lecturer to Sotheby’s Institute of Art
It was an honour to have been, once more, invited to Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London as a guest lecturer for the MA in Art Logistics.
Speaking to a room full of students on issues regarding the ethics and legalities of conservation and restoration as well as introducing them to the dynamics of restitution of cultural goods proved as enriching as always, the questions and ensuing discussions leading to new thought processes around these two important issues.
Over the course of two and half hours we covered legal and normative frameworks, case studies, the definitions of what a conservator is and the responsibilities involved in this role, the differences between restitution, repatriation, and return, and many other subjects.
As always, it was a great pleasure being involved in the MA, interacting with the students, and seeing thefuture generation of art market professionals.
Summer 2021 Teaching at Sotheby's Institute of Art's MA in Art Logistics
I am delighted to have once more been invited to talk to students at Sotheby’s Institute of Art on the important legal and ethical issues surrounding conservation.
This is the second year the MA in Art Logistics is taking place, and just like last year it was a pleasure to exchange with a new generation of future art professionals.
The students and I discussed a wide range of issues, from the legal and normative framework to international conservation ethics, to ongoing debates and conservation surprises and scandals (both historical and contemporary).
I look forward to future exchanges with them, and other student groups.
Responding to new needs: Flood vulnerability assessments
On-going trainings in different fields are necessary to respond to the increasing diversity of questions and needs of collectors and institutions. With this in mind, last week I attended a one-day course on “Carrying Out a Vulnerability Assessment on Buildings and Equipment” (Réaliser un diagnostic de vulnérabilité sur des bâtiments et des équipements).
A mix of theory and practice, the training introduced participants to the concepts of risk and vulnerability regarding floods. We were taught how to carry out a vulnerability assessment and what reduction measures would be advisable in different situations.
As museums and collectors are very much aware of, floods will greatly damage a collection and the building, even rendering them inaccessible. To prepare for this, professionals in the cultural sector have been hard at work building disaster preparedness and emergency response plans for their institutions. Knowing what the risk points and mitigation possibilities are is imperative when putting together this plan.
The course also included how to plan for the financial drawback that a flood will cause, which is an essential part of managing a collection.
Organised by Episeine, a sub-division of the French EPTB Seine Grands Lacs, one of the aims of this event was to bring together different partners and initiatives concerned by flood risk prevention. As one of two art and heritage-related participants, it was a great pleasure to be included in this day, along with representatives of local city halls, art insurance providers and the Red Cross.
Speaking (virtually) at the Art Crime Seminar, a novel experience
New times bring new and exciting challenges! On July 13, 2020, I had the pleasure of being invited back to speak at the Art Crime Seminar given by Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Though this time with a small twist: for the first time the seminar was fully on-line.
The recent Covid pandemic has forced institutions to work differently, and this has opened the doors to many new possibilities. Not the least amongst which is that students from all over the world were able to attend the seminar without having to worry about transport, food and housing.
The topic I presented this year was “Using documentation to counter the illicit trade”. It was a pleasure reaching out to young students on this subject, which touched on a vast variety of different sub-subjects, and see them engage with it and ask questions to further their understanding.
I’m, as always, grateful to Sotheby’s Institute of Art for the opportunity to teach with them, and look forward to the next occasion to do so.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions was once more invited by Sotheby's Institute of Art to lecture at one of its London courses
It was a pleasure to have been invited back as a lecturer at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, this time for the MA on Art Logistics, as well as an honour to have been part of the creation of the MA exam on Art Law. With over 15 years of experience in the field, it is always enjoyable to see the future generation of art professionals’ interest regarding all the legal and ethical issues faced by the market.
The lectures given were: “Legal and Ethical Issues: Conservation and Restoration” and “Art Restitution”. Students were thus introduced to the different codes of ethics that rule a conservator’s work, conservation’s legal and normative framework (at an international level, but also in France and the UK), and the importance of conservation treatments when researching collections.
We also discussed issues regarding the restitution of art and antiquities, and the class was able to use the knowledge it acquired on this issue from other art law lectures when discussing specific case studies.
I look forward to coming back to Sotheby’s Institute of Art for future exchanges and discussions, and to meet further new professionals as they prepare for a changing and ever-developing industry.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions was invited by Sotheby's Institute of Art to talk at its Art Crime seminar
On July 8, 2019, and for the third year in a row, Renata Kaminker was invited to speak at Sotheby's Institute of Art’s Art Crime Seminar. We were delighted to have been included in this year’s programme, alongside such prestigious names as Vernon Rapley (Director of Cultural Heritage Protection and Security at the V&A), Peter Stone OBE (Professor at Newcastle University and UNESCO Chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace), Noah Charney (Founder of ARCA), and Marc Masurovsky (Co-Founder of the Holocaust Art Restitution Project in Washington DC).
Over the course of half a day, Renata presented an overview on art crime, from the typologies of art crimes (theft and looting, heritage destruction, fakes and forgeries, artnapping…) to the main international legal framework, as well as the central players and tools in the fight against illicit trafficking. She also introduced students to what type of information should be included in due diligence procedures, the types of technical analyses that can be performed and the different types of inventories being used.
The presentation served as a general introduction to the biggest aspects of fighting art crime and helped students understand the who, what and how of this field. It was a true pleasure and honour to have been part of training a new generation of conscientious art market professionals.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions returns to MuséAl to train museum staff
Following the collections’ survey that Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions performed performed for MuséAl (Ardèche, France), the archaeological and site museum in Alba-la-Romaine, in December 2018, I was delighted to have been back to MuséAl on 24-26 June to train the staff on:
How to manage their national collections according to the particularities of French museum legislation they fall under
How to properly handle museum objects
What is preventive conservation and how to apply it to their collections (in both the exhibition rooms and storage areas)
How to organize their storage rooms
Which were the legal and practical specificities regarding inventories that they needed to be aware of
How to prepare an emergency plan for the collections and the staff
The 2018 conservation survey was completed by a report which included a review of the state of conservation of the museum’s collections as well as of the state of their inventory and preventive conservation measures. The report included a suggestion on the order of work priorities, as well as information on the preventive conservation measures that the museum could take to better preserve their collections.
The report was then used by the museum to enhance their work and better prepare the budget and staff requirements for the following year.
I look forward to my next visit to MuséAl, to follow-up on the updating of their collection’s inventory!