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.
Collections in lockdown: What do we do now?
Following a very busy summer working alongside the French Blue Shield Committee, I am delighted to announce that we are publishing a set of guidelines for collections care under lockdown conditions: Veille sanitaire, sûreté et sécurité en situation de confinement (Health, safety and security monitoring in lockdown situations).
The document gives a simple set of steps that may be followed when guiding your teams. It’s meant to help with monitoring situations, specifically regarding sanitary, security and safety measures.
The document is particularly aimed at institutions with limited staff and material means.
At the moment, only the French version is available, but the English and Spanish ones have been prepared and will be published in the coming weeks.
You may access and download the French document here.
"Managing Your Collection" article published in Art Law Club
I’m grateful to the Art Law Club for the invitation to write an article on collections management back in March 2020. It was a pleasure to touch on such important issues as preventive conservation and inventories.
“Managing a collection is both a simple and complex issue. There are a set number of guidelines that institutions should follow, and which cover a wide range of areas. This can seem overwhelming when one is faced with a whole collection and an entire building instead of individual pieces and rooms. It is because there is so much information to be considered that the prospect of managing a collection may seem daunting to some. In order to help institutions and their professionals get started with this task, this article aims to give a quick overview of the basic procedures…”
You may find the full article here: Managing Your Collection.