Handling a collection of artworks on your own may sooner or later take a toll on you. Despite the fact that art should serve the esthetic goals of pleasing you and decorating your premises, it may also come with unique nuances and avoidable hassle that you delegate to a professional collection management company. Lending artwork to galleries and museums for specialized shows, organizing items’ storage and shipping, cataloging your art, taking care of condition reports and preservation measures – all of these activities take time and effort. Yet, it’s important to choose a dependable service provider with sufficient expertise in the art industry to be sure your art is in safe hands.
How to Choose the Best Art Collection Management Company?
By choosing a reliable partner for art management, you can rest assured that your collection will be well-preserved, secure, and properly managed. The following criteria may help you spot the right company among the variety of offerings.
Needs Assessment
The first stage is a thorough needs assessment, which you should conduct to ensure the company’s service range fits your expectations and requirements. Your need will depend on the type of art you own and the services you need right now or might potentially need soon (e.g., storage, shipping, insurance, cataloging, restoration, sale, etc.).
Expertise Evaluation
You need to choose an art collection management company with a long and positive track record in the industry. Check whether the service provider has already dealt with collections like yours and whether it has properly trained and competent staff.
Credentials and Certificates
Depending on your needs, make sure the company possesses valid certificates, licenses, etc. For example, if you are more interested in art conservation, the company of your choice should be a member of a national or international art management and conservation association (e.g., The American Institute for Conservation and the like). In case, you need a partner to store and ship your art items regularly, a company should be proficient in art logistics and have all the needed licenses and insurance. These documents and memberships are solid proof of the company’s dedication to a strong professional standing in the industry and investment in the staff’s competencies.
Reputation Review
It also makes sense to check what other people say about the company based on their past experiences. Referrals and online reviews are a good starting point for understanding first-hand customer impressions and drawing conclusions about the quality of service you may expect.
Contractual Arrangements
You should always check the contractual terms that the company offers to collection owners. They should be clear and transparent, with no blind spots or ambiguous language that may help the provider escape liability for errors or damage. Contracts should also allow flexibility for clients in terms of service range modification in case your collection grows or your art management needs change over time.