Art Insurance Claims Consultancy

Paul Britton acts Internationally as an insurance claims consultant, appointed by leading Fine Art insurance companies, Lloyd’s Underwriters and brokers and provides independent, objective opinion in relation to claims involving damage, loss or theft of Fine Art and cultural objects.

Services include opinion on causation, initial assessment of loss and remedial measures, reserve calculation, restoration & conservation and reviewing diminution in value.

Advice is given on replacement costs of modern collectible items through to the market value of museum quality objects. By their nature, claim related enquiries are often time sensitive, frequently requiring urgent intervention in order to mitigate any loss of value.

Modern & Contemporary Art

In addition to the traditional collecting categories, opinion and specialist expertise is available in respect of damage to contemporary and modern artworks and the complex issues surrounding the treatment of works by living artists. Previous instructions in this area have involved artworks spanning a broad range of work and media by leading artists including:

Conservation & Restoration

Drawing upon a close working relationship with many of the leading UK and International conservation practices and extensive experience of advising in connection with the treatment of art objects, advice is provided on the most appropriate and cost efficient methods of treatment and repair whilst maintaining technical and ethical best practice in mitigating loss.

Salvage

On behalf of insurance underwriters and utilising experience and knowledge of local and International art markets, insurance claim salvage disposal is administered in an efficient and timely manner.

Post-Loss Appraisal

Independent, specialist valuation advice and related technical expertise is available for all categories of art objects following damage, loss or theft. Cases range from damage in transit affecting a Han Dynasty terracotta figure, to water damage to a contemporary mixed-media art installation.

Services are provided in the form of a single desktop report based on the supply of images and relevant documentation, to full inspection and detailed reports.

Damage and repair often adversely affect the value of a Work of Art and is frequently the single largest financial consideration of any insurance claim. Conversely, identifying evidence of previous damage or repair may mitigate further loss of value. In this inherently subjective field independent and thorough investigation, analysis and objective opinion are provided.

Additional services include valuations of art and other cultural objects for insurance, taxation and family division purposes. When appropriate, individual subject matter experts are consulted and commissioned.

Dispute/Expert Witness

Forensic valuation reports in relation to lost, damaged or stolen Works of Art are provided for litigation support or in anticipation of court proceedings. Previous instructions relating to civil and criminal cases in the UK, France and the USA have covered items damaged, destroyed or lost whilst in transit, on loan or in storage and issues relating to authenticity of Works of Art.

Advice given draws upon many years of expertise in art appraisal and valuation and wide experience in art market practice, including conservation and restoration.

All reports are fully compliant with current Civil Procedure Rules and Expert Witness procedures and protocols. Potential instructing clients are invited to request, free of charge, an informal initial opinion and provisional fee budget.

Art Risk Management

Tailor made risk management services are provided to insurers, in particular pre-risk condition surveys and valuation reports for all categories of Fine Art objects. Advice is given on risks peculiar to art works, including loan, storage, transportation and display conditions and other associated perils.

The art insurance market can be exposed to questionable or fraudulent insurance proposals. Pre-risk due diligence valuation, authenticity, title and provenance research is frequently commissioned by underwriters. Notable previous pre-risk commissions have included works by Brancusi, Caravaggio, Chagall, Koons and Modigliani. In several other instances, examples of overvaluation and wrongful attribution have been identified.

Collection Care

In addition to risk management, a collection care service is also offered to private and corporate collectors and those insuring or managing art assets. Services provided include inventories and valuations for insurance, taxation and other purposes, digitisation, preventative conservation advice, framing, and access to art transport and storage facilities within the UK and overseas.