Private and corporate collections

Collections of antique and contemporary art, artefacts and luxury goods need as much curatorial care as those in public collections. If you or your business owns art, not only will it provide conversation pieces but will also form part of your long-term investment portfolio.

On average, art returns 7.6 percent to investors each year.

The Balance, Does investing in art make financial sense? via artprice.com

Caring for your investment

There are two main ways you should be caring for your investment:

  • improving and monitoring the physical environment
  • conducting provenance research

We can help you make a plan for caring for your investment, whether it is in storage, on the walls of offices, in the attic or decorating hotel rooms.

Environment

Environmental stability is the key to longevity in art, specimens and artefacts, even magnetic tape, hard drives and CDs. However outside museums and galleries it is rarely possible to control light, UV, temperature and relative humidity in this way. However there are steps you can take to mitigate against these effects.

Our partners at ArtRatio offer bespoke vitrines, display cases and frames with smart glass and live metrics to monitor the conditions of your treasures. We can work together to create a solution for you or your business.

The other way you can improve the environment of your art and artefacts is to upgrade their packaging and storage. We can provide quick and easy solutions for ensuring your collections will stay in good health for a long time to come.

If you are private collector on a budget we can also advise you on the things to avoid when packaging your collection.

Provenance

Knowing and being able to prove the story behind a piece of art, artefact or specimen can immeasurably increase the value of your collection. Having a recorded provenance can also demonstrate your commitment to collecting ethically.

We can conduct provenance research on your behalf or verify the provenance you already have, for example assessing sales particulars, previous owners and treatments. We can also help you to check the provenance of a piece before you buy it at auction.

Reverse handle of a silver slotted ladle from the 18th century.