72 Hours: Why Your Collection Needs The Lumiere Group’s Rapid Response Protocol
Collection Conservation
Your art collection tells a unique story. Our Collections Stewardship team ensures that story endures through thoughtful conservation strategies tailored to your specific needs. We anticipate challenges before they arise—from establishing maintenance protocols for new acquisitions to developing climate-responsive disaster recovery plans that protect your valuable assets in an ever-changing environment. In the event of a disaster, we recommend rapid response within 72 hours to salvage, assess, and prevent further damage. This is achievable with preparation, including:
Collection Documentation
Exemplary collection management begins with documentation. Our team conducts meticulous physical surveys of your holdings, creating comprehensive catalogues that detail condition, dimensions, location, and other essential information. This documentation serves as both a practical resource and a historical record of your collection’s evolution.
Valuation Services
Understanding the current market value of your collection is essential for numerous purposes—from insurance coverage to estate planning. Our Curatorial team provides expert valuations based on extensive market knowledge and partners with certified appraisers when additional detail is required, ensuring you have accurate, actionable information for critical decisions.
Collection Refinement
The thoughtful refinement of a collection through deaccessioning is a natural part of its evolution. Our Curatorial team provides expert guidance throughout this process, whether you’re considering museum donations, auction sales, or other avenues. We ensure all recommendations align with your collection’s mission while adhering to legal requirements, organizational policies, and tax documentation standards.
Our specialized services include:
Condition Assessment
Our detailed condition reports document your art and valuable objects at specific points in time, providing:
- A snapshot of an artwork’s condition before transportation, storage, or installation
- Critical information for optimal display and presentation
- Baseline records that prove invaluable in the event of damage or disaster
Storage Expertise
Preserve your collection’s integrity with our storage consultation services. We provide guidance on proper methods, housing systems, cataloging approaches, and handling protocols—all informed by our extensive experience with diverse materials and their preservation requirements.
Damage Evaluation
In the aftermath of a disaster, our team offers expert assessment of damaged valuables across a wide spectrum of categories—from contemporary fine art to historical artifacts, photography, and specialized collections. We can evaluate restoration possibilities and connect you with trusted conservation specialists.
Disaster Response & Recovery
When the unexpected occurs, our qualified team is ready to:
- Coordinate with first responders and local officials for safe access
- Enact preservation measures quickly to mitigate further damage
- Safely relocate threatened objects
- Stabilize items that cannot be immediately moved
- Document all actions, damage, and valuations for insurance claims
- Determine appropriate recovery methods or recommend specialized vendors
- Advise on responsible disposition of compromised items
- Develop preventative storage strategies to protect against future risks
Case Study: Revitalizing a Corporate Collection
Client: A global technology company with a 40-year-old collection of over 5,000 contemporary artworks
Challenge: Our client needed to comprehensively assess their collection, address storage concerns, and develop a strategic plan that aligned with their corporate identity while preserving historically significant works.
Our Approach:
- Comprehensive Documentation: Our Collections Stewardship team conducted a thorough inventory across all locations, discovering several significant works that had been improperly stored and forgotten during previous relocations.
- Conservation Assessment: With more than 70 percent of its collection on display, artworks had experienced damage from impact, flooding, improper handling, and exposure to the elements. We identified 10 pieces requiring immediate conservation intervention, including oil paintings, etchings, works on paper with 3D-printed elements, photograph collages, beadworks, found object sculptures, and outdoor installations. Our team engaged certified conservators by their respective specialty to perform work onsite or following transport of the artwork to their studio, coordinating follow-up treatments as needed. Wherever possible, we reached out to artist studios directly for guidance and assistance.
- Storage Redesign: We evaluated needs, then recommended and implemented climate-controlled storage solutions for their most valuable works, with custom housing for oversized sculptures and delicate works on paper.
- Education: Our team held training sessions for the client’s facility vendors on the proper procedures for monitoring and reporting damage to artworks to facilitate a network with the greatest visibility of the collection.
Results: The client now maintains a cohesive, well-documented collection that reflects their corporate values while preserving their most historically significant acquisitions. Our ongoing maintenance protocol has prevented further deterioration of valuable works and established the collection as a noteworthy corporate cultural asset.