No Touching! But do insure: How fragile art survives the world

From Transport to Display Case: How an Insurance Policy Protects Every Stage of an Exhibition

 

Organizing an exhibition is a bit like conducting an orchestra: every element — artworks, lighting, spaces, audience — must find its perfect balance. Yet behind the poetry of installation lies a technical and delicate profession, made up of calculations, materials, temperatures and… insurance policies.

Anyone who lends, moves or exhibits a work of art knows that beauty alone is not enough: safety is an integral part of the viewing experience. This is where exhibition insurance comes into play, not merely as a “financial umbrella”, but as a true guide to proper conservation. Each type of object carries exposure to different risks — and insurance responds accordingly, depending on the fragility of the work. Let us explore them together.

 

1. Fragile and Small-Scale Works: When even a Breath Is Enough

Glass, ceramics, miniatures or small sculptures all live in a precarious balance between wonder and catastrophe.

The General Policy Conditions require such objects to be housed in fixed, lockable display cases or vitrines fitted with laminated safety glass.

The insurer covers direct material damage resulting from ordinary or scheduled handling, provided this is carried out by personnel specialized in the handling of works of art.

The most common incidents? Not only impacts or falls, but also “excessive zeal”: many breakages occur during unrequested cleaning attempts by inexperienced hands. For this reason, even the smallest movement must be managed like a surgical operation.

 

When the Unexpected Becomes History

 

Who does not remember Marcel Duchamp’s Large Glass? During transport in 1926, its thin glass panes shattered — yet Duchamp chose to exhibit the work as it was, turning cracks into part of the artwork itself.

A rare case: in reality, as with Jeff Koons’ famous porcelain Balloon Dog, which fell and was destroyed at Miami Art Basel in 2022, damage cannot always be transformed into art.

For this reason, our policies set out strict conditions: insurance coverage applies only if transport is handled by fine art–specialized carriers, using professional packaging appropriate to both the object and the mode of transport. Crates must ensure stability, mechanical resistance and protection throughout the entire journey.

 

 

 

2. Photography: The (Fragile) Art of Light

A photograph may appear more solid. In fact, it is one of the most vulnerable forms of art. A fingerprint, a reflection, a drop of humidity can irreparably compromise an artist’s work.

Proper handling is the first line of defense: always with cotton gloves, in environments with controlled temperature and humidity. Photographs must be protected with UV-filtering glass and correctly lit, avoiding direct natural or artificial light sources: light is their number one enemy.

Fine art policies cover accidental, direct material damage, but not damage resulting from negligence, deterioration, inherent vice or poor conservation, including damage caused by humidity, light or pests due to lack of monitoring. If an air-conditioning system fails, however, the accidental nature of the event brings damage caused by changes in temperature and humidity within coverage.

The same applies to pests, woodworms or other insects, provided that the works are regularly monitored and, for example, treated with preventive disinfestation prior to being lent for exhibition.

During transport, framed photographs present a specific risk: glass breakage. For this reason, an extension is available to cover damage caused by breakage of the protective glass, provided that a suitable safety film, adhesive grid or adequate cushioning thickness is applied to contain fragments and keep the glass stable and protected.

 

 

 

3. Valuables: Beauty Under Lock and Key

Diamonds, jewelry, silverware and precious metals: precious objects, from any era, are inherently exposed to the risk of theft or robbery.

The ease with which jewelry can be converted into materials such as gold, silver or gemstones makes these objects particularly desirable. Precisely because of this elevated risk, insurance policies impose specific requirements for exhibition display:

- enclosed and supervised premises with reinforced fixtures and secure access points;

- compliant burglar alarm and fire detection systems;

- active guarding in every exhibition room during opening hours;

- armored display cases and vitrines;

- certified safes or vaults when in storage;

- during closure, either armed surveillance or an alarm connected to a control center.

 

In the event of theft, coverage applies only if the intrusion occurs through forced entry, the use of burglary tools or clandestine access, and must be reported to law enforcement.

Fine art policies may also cover theft by stealth, meaning the removal of an object during public opening hours, provided that each exhibition space is continuously supervised by at least one identifiable custodian or monitored via closed-circuit television allowing live remote surveillance by dedicated personnel.

A now well-known episode is the so-called “heist of the century” at the Louvre in 2025, when a gang disguised as maintenance workers stole eight French crown jewels in just a few minutes. A theft that set a precedent: without active guarding or operational alarm systems, even the most secure walls become vulnerable. (Moral of the story: a camera without a control room is just a decorative object.)

Many major thefts or fire-related losses occur during construction works. The fire at Notre-Dame, the theft of Cellini’s Salt Cellar and the aforementioned Louvre case all show how building sites significantly increase risk and require enhanced security and monitoring measures.

 

 

4. Contemporary Installations: Art That Lives and Risks

Contemporary art installations represent the most complex case for an underwriter. They encompass all the risks described above and add one more variable: the public.

Many works invite viewers to interact, to enter the space or even to become part of the artwork itself.

Often made from humble materials, these works are particularly exposed to damage, petty theft or the removal of individual components. The public’s failure to recognise the object as a work of art (“I could do that too!”) inevitably leads to its underestimation.

This makes it essential to take out an All Risks policy combined with Public Liability coverage, to insure damage to people or third-party property as well.

Losses can be unpredictable: from visitor negligence to the excessive diligence of cleaning staff who mistake contemporary art for rubbish. In 2001, a pile of ashtrays by Damien Hirst was thrown away as trash, as were the empty beer cans by French artist Alexandre Lavet. Installed in an elevator, the cans were removed by a technician called in for repairs, who dutifully disposed of them. Retrieved from the bin, the cans later returned to display, reinforcing the idea that, for some objects, the location itself completes the artwork.

Context — public square or museum — determines entirely different levels of risk. Consider Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Venus of the Rags: burned in an act of arson when installed in a public square in Naples, yet preserved within the controlled environment of the Castello di Rivoli.

 

 

5. Vandalism: When Art Becomes a Target

In recent years, “eco-activist” vandalism has made headlines worldwide: from Botticelli’s Primavera to Van Gogh’s The Sower, artworks have become targets of demonstrative actions.

Fine art policies cover damage caused by vandalism, but prevention remains essential: protective glazing, display cases or climate-controlled systems such as Climabox units, which stabilise temperature and humidity while offering additional protection from external factors.

Not all vandalism is ideological. In 2022, in Russia, a bored museum guard drew eyes with a pen on a 1930 painting by Anna Leporskaya, valued at $1.4 million. An anecdote that raises a smile, but one that reminds us how crucial the human factor remains, even in the most closely guarded institutions.

 

Insuring an exhibition is not merely a matter of financial convenience: it is an act of active cultural protection.

Insurance guides exhibitors towards correct practices, promotes conscious risk management, encourages mitigation measures and becomes a true handbook of responsible care. Whether a photograph, a pane of Duchamp’s glass or an interactive sculpture, every work requires constant attention, training and collaboration between museums, organisers, lenders and insurers.

Because, as major losses of the past show, art does not fear time alone, it fears distraction above all.

 

 

About the Author

Francesca Sinagra | Fine Art Underwriter, ARTE Generali Italia

 

Francesca holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Management of Cultural Heritage from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and a Master’s degree from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan. After gaining experience in the insurance sector and the art market, she joined ARTE Generali, supporting the insurance division in the underwriting of multi-risk policies for private and institutional clients, as well as temporary exhibitions. In June 2023, she obtained CEPAS certification as a Risk Manager for Cultural Heritage.