Adviser - Spring 2017

Damage to works of art – accidental or otherwise – makes for a great news story. Readers with long memories may remember the unfortunate incident in 2006 when a visitor had a ‘Norman Wisdom moment’ at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge when he fell over his own shoelace while descending the staircase and knocked over three very large oriental vases. The force of the impact smashed the vases and created thousands of shards spread across a large area; dedicated staff spent many months sorting, reassembling and restoring the vases back to a condition where they could be put back on display. M ore sinister was the 2012 instance in the Tate Modern gallery in London when a Rothko painting was deliberately These are extreme examples of damage to works of art in the public domain. But there are many thousands of artworks which are vulnerable to damage whilst kept in private houses. Air conditioning, heating, dust, grease, and tobacco smoke all take their toll whilst there is always the danger of accidents occurring as part of day-to-day life. Restoration costs are often less than you might expect: in this case the original valuation of the portrait in 2015 was £7,500.00, and the expert repair work cost £1,680.00. Furthermore, restoration rather than replacement is good news for the owners of works of art as it may help keep the costs of their future insurance premiums down in future.

vandalised by an art blogger who climbed over the rope barrier to scrawl graffiti on the bottom corner of the painting. The thick black paint quickly soaked through the layers of the painting, in some places right through to the canvas. Removing and restoring the multi-million pound work of art took eighteen months and £200,000 was spent before it was back on the wall of the gallery.

Jason Harden, commercial and personal insurance account executive at Scrutton Bland explains ‘A fine-arts insurance policy generally will cover the entire cost of restoration and, if there is, for example, a 25% loss of value because of the damage, the insurer could pay the policyholder up to 25% of the insured value. Your fine art insurance can be arranged as a separate policy or combined with your main home and contents policy. We have extensive experience in choosing the most appropriate cover for your contents, and will aim to find the right cover to suit your personal circumstances, from one painting to private collections.’ To discuss your insurance needs in complete confidence, contact Jason Harden at jason.harden@ scruttonbland.co.uk or tel 01206 838400 or Natasha Sadler at natasha.sadler@scruttonbland. co.uk or tel 01206 838400 Contact the Fine Art Restoration Company at www.fineart-restoration.co.uk or tel 0207 1127576

Charles Anderson of the Fine Art Restoration Company recalls a recent incident when a client doing her housework accidentally tore through the surface of an eighteenth-century portrait with a vacuum cleaner. ‘The painting meant a lot to the owner and was examined by an insurance adjuster before being handed over to us as quickly and carefully as possible,’ he recalls. ‘The canvas was relined, whilst ensuring that the edges of the tear matched up as closely as possible, and by the time we had completed the project there was no indication to the naked eye that the painting had been damaged.

2 8 | S C R U T T O N B L A N D | S E C T O R what to dowhen your painting is damaged Fine art restoration

Before and after – how the damaged oil painting was restored by the experts

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