Congratulations Blue Shield France on an excellent event
On Wednesday, 29 January 2020, the French Committee of the Blue Shield held a one-day conference in Paris on “Bouncing back from the crisis: heritage and resilience” (Rebondir après le drame : patrimoines et résilience).
As a member of the Blue Shield and volunteer for the organisation, I was delighted to be able to attend the event and give a small hand in helping prepare it.
Having been in charge of the creation of such reports as the Watch Lists and No-Strike Lists for the Blue Shield International between 2011 and 2016, as well as its oficial statements on heritage in danger, I felt this as a continuation of my work in spreading the knowledge on heritage in danger.
Conference speakers presented the work done in France by different organisations regarding the preparation and protection of cultural heritage. This included redefining the concept of resilience in the aftermath of a disaster, as well as introducing the work done by representatives of the French army, government officials and non-profit organisations in France and around the world. It was made clear through said presentations that the key to resilience is, indeed, preparation.
The event highlighted the wonderful efforts done by several sectors of the public and non-profit world to help protect our art and heritage, and presented the lessons learned during past interventions.
Speakers included:
Charles PERSONNAZ, Director of the French Institut national du patrimoine
Philippe BARBAT, Director General of Heritage (Directeur Général des Patrimoines)
Jocelyne DESCHAUX, Chari of Blue Shield France
Francesc PLA CASTELLTORT, Culture and Cultural Heritage Division, Directorate General of Democracy, Counseil of Europe
Romain KIMMEL, Head of the Directorate General for Civil Secrity and Crisis Management (Direction Générale de la Sécurité Civile et de la Gestion des Crises)
Capitain Ariane PINAULDT, Curator at the Musée des transmissions de Cesson-Sévigné
Samir ABDULAC, ICOMOS France and Blue Shield France
Bruno FAVEL, Head of the Department of European and International Affairs at the Directoare-General for Heritage (Département des Afaires européennes et internationales de la Direction Générale des Patrimoines), Ministry of Culture
The event was also the occasion for non-profit heritage organisations in France to present their work, with spaces being set out and dedicated to them throughout the day.
I look forward to similar events in the future, as we work towards transversal approaches for the protection of art and heritage.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions attends SITEM
As part of the services I offer to my clients, I accompany and help on important events for their business or collections.
This week we’ll be spending some time at SITEM, the international trade show for museums and tourist sites, at the Musée du Louvre in Paris.
SITEM will take place over 3 days, from 28 to 30 January 2021, and hosts 165 professionals presenting their work and holds 9 conferences and 22 workshops around themes of common interests for players in the field.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions is delighted to stand alongside Pinakotag, who was selected to participate in SITEM’s start-up contest, offering cultural heritage and art and antiquities professionals’ practical solutions to their inventory and documentation issues.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions is pleased to be able to offer its clients a wide range of services, from the traditional collection’s management ones to any non-traditional assistance that responds to their specific needs.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions attends the French CNE's roundtable discussion on restitution
Yesterday, November 26, 2019, the French Compagnie National des Experts (CNE) held a roundtable discussion on The Question of the Restitution of Artworks.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions attended the event, the work required to assist in restitutions, such as documentation and title research, being an integral part of our work.
It was an interesting morning, where the French perspective from the legal, political and factual point of view was openly discussed.
The expert panel were all highly regarded sector professionals with some opposing viewpoints on the subject, be they legal, historical or from the art and culture media:
Judith Schoffel de Fabry, CNE Administrator & Roundtable Coordinator
Emmanuel Moyne, Lawyer
Bertrand Goy, Art historian specialised in Tribal Arts
Didier Rykner, Journalist
Claire Bouglé-Le Roux, Professor of Law History, Université de Versailles-Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
Frédéric Castaing, CNE President
It is always interesting to hear national views on what is a highly debated subject, especially after participating in conferences with an international perspective as Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions always does. Discussing different views and perspectives, whether we agree with them or not, is always important.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions attends the Art Market Day 2019
I was delighted to attend the Art Market Day at the Grand Palais, in Paris, on Monday 18 November.
The Art Market Day brings together professionals driving the future of the field. It was a day full of panels and keynote speeches seeking to understand and foresee the changing forces in the market.
The event highlighted the use of digital tools in the market today, even with it being only at its beginnings. The future seems to be gearing towards the digital world.
At Renata Kaminker - Fine art Solutions we are happy to say that our tools and services are very much in line with the future of the market. We are pleased to confirm that our partners in the protection of your collections are using the latest digital technology, and that we are here to ensure that these tools serve your needs properly.
Speakers included, among others:
Chris Dercon (President of the French RMN - Grand Palais)
Frédéric Jousset, President of Beaux Arts & Cie
Franck Riester (Minister of Culture)
Georgina Adam, Contributor to Le Quotidien de l’Art, The Financial Times and The Art Newspaper
Anne-Laure Bandle, Lawyer and coordinator of the Responsible Art Market initiative
Bernadine Bröcker Wieder, CEO and co-founder of Vastari Group
Nanne Dekking, CEO Founder Artory and Chairman of the Board TEFAF
Adriano Picinati di Torcello, Founder and Director of the Deloitte Art & Finance initiative
Pontus Silfverstople, Co-founder of Barnebys
Cécile Verdier, President of Christie’s France
The themes covered included:
The 5th European anti-money laundering directive
The regionalisation of the global market
Big data : new tools for the art market?
Financing for art market players
Is there a market for digital art?
The impact of Brexit on the art market
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions attends CIVS' 2019 Conference
Last Friday, 15 November 2019, I had the opportunity to attend CIVS’ conference on the “Twenty years of reparation for anti-semitic spoliations during the Occupation: between compensation and restitution”.
Following the introduction given by former French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, speakers from France, England, Switzerland, and Germany, among other countries, discussed several issues:
Does compensation adequately reflect the losses suffered?
Reparation: what is the perspective of despoiled families?
Reparation that is necessarily incomplete
Comparative assessment in Europe
The challenges of provenance research
The diversity of approach: the example of forced sales
In addition, the new French organization for the restitution of looted cultural property was presented. You may find more information on this here.
The event was also a wonderful occasion to greet colleagues and friends, and exchange on the future of restitutions and other related issues. Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions is very happy to be assistance in documentation and title research, as well as legal advice thanks to its network of specialized lawyers, as is necessary for cases like the ones discussed today.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions attended Fine Arts Paris' evening event
Renata Kaminker, of R.K. Fine Art Solutions, attends Fine Arts Paris with partners Christine Martin (CEO of Pinakotag) and Ilenia Cassan (Co-founder of Art in Lab)
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions attended Fine Arts Paris’ evening event yesterday. It was a lovely occasion to exchange on business perspectives with clients and partners.
Created in 2017 and located at the Louvre Museum, Fine Arts Paris was founded by the organizers of the French Salon du Dessin and in association with Paris Tableau. As its name clearly states, it is a specialist art fair dedicated to the fine arts, from Antiquity to today.
Dedicated to drawing, painting and sculpture, Fine Arts Paris showcases its desire to promote Paris as a stronghold of the global art market thanks to the works selected by its exhibitors and a dense programme of cultural events. This year’s off-site events, held in partnership with various art institutions and museums in the Île-de-France region, offer a series of special visits to major exhibitions and little-known corners of the city.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions attends TIAMSA's Nazi looted art restitution panel discussion
It was a pleasure to be able to attend the event organised by the International Art Market Studies Association (TIAMSA) and Constantine Cannon LLP at the National Gallery of London, on “Nazi-Looted Art & Restitution Claims. Milestone Anniversaries: Progress in Practice?”.
Experts discussed current practice and future developments in the field of restitution claims to looted artworks. Panel experts experts included representatives from the UK Spoliation Advisory Panel, the V&A, the British Library, the J Paul Getty Trust, and the Commission for Looted Art in Europe.
Panel speakers included:
Antonia Bartoli, Spoliation Curator, British Library, London
Evelien Campfens, Leiden University, Leiden
Stephen W. Clark, Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees, The J. Paul Getty Trust, Los Angeles
Jacques Schuhmacher, Provenance and Spoliation Curator, Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Tony Baumgartner, Spoliation Advisory Panel, London
Luis Li, Attorney, Munger, Tolles
James Ratcliffe, General Counsel and Director of Recoveries, The Art Loss Register, London
Anne Webber, Founder and Co-Chair, Commission for Looted Art in Europe, London
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions attends London's 2019 ABC
I was delighted to have attended this year’s Art Business Conference, on September 4th.
Already on its sixth year, the ABC has quickly become the annual one-day meeting point for art market professionals.
Keynote Speeches were given by Georgina Adam (Journalist and writer) and Elaine Bedell (Southbank Centre).
Georgina Adam gives the opening key-note speech
The panel discussions held throughout the day delved on diverse subjects, such as:
The Global View: Brexit, globalisation, rapid technological change, the climate emergency and rising populism are presenting challenges across the world. Panel participants took a look at the potential risks and rewards facing arts institutions and businesses, and discuss ways leading organisations are readying themselves for the future. Speakers: Dr Tristram Hunt (V&A), Thaddaeus Ropac (Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac), Jennifer Schipf (AXA XL) & Jane Morris (The Art Newspaper & Cultureshock)
Demystifying Art Finance: An expert session covering the ins and outs of art lending from loan costs and terms to financing for art businesses. Speakers: Freya Stewart (The Fine Art Group) & Melanie Gerlis (Financial Times)
Export Licensing: Perspectives on Italian, UK and German export licensing, with relevant case studies. Speakers: Giuseppe Calabi (CBM Partners), Anastasia Tennant (Arts Council), Julie Prance (Momart), Tova Ossad (Ossad Art Management), Friederike Gräfin von Brühl (KL Gates) and James Carleton (Farrer & Co)
Investment in Art Businesses: Evaluating and selecting an investor, the different funding options, valuing your company, succession planning and exit strategies. Speakers: Tim Jackson (Walking Ventures), Bernadine Bröcker Wieder (Vastari), John Derrick (JP Morgan) and moderated by Roxanna Zarnegar (ARCIS)
The ABC provides the opportunity to exchange on current issues and network with professionals in the field.
Renata Kaminker and Susan J. Mumford at the ABC
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions attends Blue Shield France’s General Conference
As a member of Blue Shield France, Renata Kaminker participated in yesterday’s training on "Climate crisis and emergency management of heritage disasters".
Over the course of the day participants heard from:
Jacques Faye, State Architect and Urban Planner, on the issue of Heritage: Climate Change and Major Risks.
Françoise Collanges, conservation advisor, on “ICCROM’s Heritage Emergency Methodology” and “Heritage emergency: a theoretical basis for a global approach?”. Françoise had participated in the 2018 First Aid to Cultural Heritage in Times of Crisis course organized by ICCROM, The Smithsonian Institution, the Prince Klaus Fund, and UNESCO Netherlands.
Following the presentations, a meeting of the Committee for Trainings was held, which gave us greater insight into the work done by Blue Shield France and the opportunity to volunteer in future projects.
Thank you, Blue Shield France, for organizing what was a very interesting day, full of valuable insights and information.
* * * *
En tant que membre du Comité français du Bouclier Bleu, Renata Kaminker a participé hier à la journée de formation organisé autour du thème "Crise climatique et gestion d'urgence des sinistres sur le patrimoine".
Au cours de la journée, des participants ont été faites par :
Jacques Faye, architecte urbaniste de l'Etat, sur « Patrimoines, changement climatique et risques majeurs ».
Françoise Collanges, consultante en conservation, sur « La méthodologie d'urgence élaborée par l'ICCROM » et « Urgentisme du patrimoine: un socle théorique pour une approche globale? ». Françoise a pu participer à la formation organisé en 2018 au cours d’Aide d'urgence au patrimoine culturel en temps de crise organisé par l’ICCROM, le Smithsonian Institution, le Prince Klaus Fund et UNESCO Pays-Bas
A la suite des présentations s’est tenue une réunion du Comité des formations, laquelle nous a permis de mieux comprendre le travail effectué par Blue Shield France et de pouvoir collaborer sur des futurs projets.
Merci au Comité français du Bouclier Bleu d’avoir organisé cette journée riche en informations.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions partners with Pinakotag for its work at the Musée Élise Rieuf!
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions is proud to present its new partnership with Pinakotag!
Video in French, with English subtitles
Pinakotag is a web-based management system that centralizes all relevant information (material, historical and administrative) for fine art collectors (private and institutional). It responds to the need for registering one’s collections and follow up each individual piece’s life (restoration, transportation, documentation, etc.). Under the guise of a traditional wax-seal is hidden a microchip linking to the relevant information. The chip is readable on any smartphone or tablet. Created by a painting’s conservator, it allies IoT technologies and fine art conservation constraints.
In partnership with Pinakotag, Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions started on the final phase of setting a new inventorying process which would allow the Musée Élise Rieuf (Massiac, France) to confirm the localization of its artworks, update the inventory files, and fluidify and simplify their working process all in real time, rendering it all more time-efficient.
The system will allow the 3-person museum staff to quickly and efficiently organise the inventory of its collections, and follow-up on the localisation of its 600+ pieces at a rate of 150 artworks per hour and per person.
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions is delighted to have included in this new project! We aim to simplify the tasks of those who handle collections, large and small, freeing them so that their time may be used in pursuing other urgent matters.
What Our Clients Say About Us
“Pinakotag is very happy to work in partnership with R.K. Fine Art Solutions, as we have the same philosophy when it comes to artworks (love of art, respect for the material and history of the pieces, professional ethics) and a complementary approach to collection management.”
Renata Kaminker - Fine Art Solutions attends the joint Fieldfisher-Vastari seminar on art businesses under criminal investigation
I was delighted to attend the seminar jointly organized by Fieldfisher and Vastari on businesses under criminal investigation
The seminar, aimed at art dealers, galleries and intermediaries working with collectors in art transactions, focused on the UK’s Anti-Money Laundering Directives 5 and 6, as well as other practical issues such as:
What happens when law enforcement agencies investigate a person or business
Criminal tax investigations
Protecting data versus handing over material to law enforcement
Dealing with International Enforcement Agencies
Sanctions
It was a pleasure to participate in such an interesting event and hear from experts in the field.
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 works on national military collections
I had the honour several years ago of working for the French national museum, Musée de l’Armée – Hôtel national des Invalides (Paris). I was asked to apply remedial conservation measures, as well as create or update inventory files, for the museum’s 19th and 20th century military uniforms and other paraphernalia (textile, leather and metal).
It was a pleasure to work on a national collection such as this one, and to have been part for nearly a year of the museum’s 7-year building and exhibition spaces renovation project.
#throwbackthursday Project management of ICOM’s Red Lists of Cultural Objects at Risk
Over the course of several years, I was in charge of managing ICOM’s Red Lists of Cultural Objects at Risk. Ispecifically worked on the Emergency Red Lists for Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Libya, and the Mali section in the West African list, as well as the regular Red List for the Dominican Republic.
I also monitored and reported on emergency situations for museums and cultural heritage sites for ICOM and the International Committee of the Blue Shield, and training of museum professionals on fighting illicit trafficking of cultural goods, collections inventory, and emergency situations.
Projects were finished on or ahead of schedule, and under budget. This allowed for the remaining funds to be invested in new Red Lists as the demanded required them. It was an honor to work on these long-lasting tools dedicated to fighting illicit trafficking of cultural goods around the world, and specifically in conflict areas.
The success of the Watch Lists was illustrated by the request of the US Blue Shield Committee to have a list drawn for Libya, to be given to NATO before the air strike. The result was that extensive site damage was avoided, thanks to NATO having their exact coordinates.
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!
Conservation of mural paintings in Bonaparte's childhood home
I enjoy looking back at past projects. The conservation intervention at the Musée de la maison Bonaparte à Ajacciò (Corsica, France) is one that particularly delights me as it consisted in the retouching of close to 250 square metres of rediscovered mural paintings. Created in the 19th-century, they decorate Napoleon Bonaparte’s childhood home and recreate wallpapers that were in vogue at the time.
For several decades, these beautiful faux wallpapers were hidden under layers of modern industrial paint. Bringing them back to light was a true pleasure.
The end result of the work is that museum visitors are now able to fully immerge themselves in the original décor and lifestyle which the Bonaparte family enjoyed.
