Sometimes, the lines blur between my day job and leisure activities.
A typical workday might include talking with a museum’s representative about a blockbuster special exhibition, touching base with collectors planning to attend an upcoming international art fair, and meeting a gallerist organizing an event for one of its artists.
And outside my day job? That often includes visiting a museum’s special exhibition, attending an international art fair to meet old and new friends among the gallerists and collectors, and mingling with other art aficionados at a reception for an artist.
Although my professional responsibilities often blend into my personal interests, the common thread, of course, is an enduring passion for art. In my case, that particularly includes modern and contemporary art, Old Masters, especially Italian Primitives, and architecture.
Leveraging internal and external specialists
I am hardly an outlier among the colleagues supporting AXA XL’s Fine Art & Specie portfolio globally. We are a diverse group with different nationalities—the team operates in Europe, the UK, North America, Australia and Asia—and various backgrounds and responsibilities. Nonetheless, most of us are passionate about art regardless of nationality or function, e.g., actuary, underwriter, risk consultant, claims handler or marketing manager. Many have advanced degrees in relevant fields, including art history, design and architecture, have worked for a fine art dealer or auction house, or have specialized training in appraisals or restoration.
Thus, when AXA XL’s Art Experts Network was formed around twenty years ago, we drew from a deep pool of people with extensive knowledge and experience in protecting, preserving and insuring fine art and collectibles. The Network also includes independent experts with specialized technical expertise in preservation and restoration.
The Network’s art historians, appraisers, conservators, and underwriters work closely with clients to help preserve, safeguard, repair and restore valuable art assets. Their core mission is to conduct personalized risk assessments, offer guidance on best practices for maintaining and protecting valuable artworks and develop tailored insurance solutions. Recognizing clients’ unique issues and challenges, we customize our services and products based on where the artworks are displayed—i.e., in a private home, museum, gallery/auction house, special exhibition or international art fair—and, in many cases, on what the arrangements are for transporting the art to and from different locales.
The evolution of international art fairs
Although preserving and protecting fine art has always been important, the necessity and value of such a network of experts has only emerged in recent decades. That is because, historically, art didn’t often move; most artworks typically stayed in the same place for decades, if not centuries. Thus, artworks weren’t subjected to the rigors of transporting them to new locales, perhaps places with markedly different environmental conditions.
That paradigm started to shift in the 1950s. Before then, transporting fine art was fraught with risks. Fragile materials, varying climate conditions, and rudimentary packaging techniques often combined to cause damage or loss. Political instability, inadequate insurance, and the lack of specialized transport services also hindered the safe movement of artworks.
However, as the art market began to recover and expand after the Second World War, developing reliable and secure methods to transport high-value works became an urgent need. In response, museum administrators, conservators and scientists organized conferences and commissioned investigations into the ideal conditions for displaying different kinds of art, as well as the best practices for transporting artworks. That laid the foundation for today’s advanced art logistics practices, which feature specialized crating and packaging materials, networks of specialist art shipping companies, and sophisticated risk management practices and insurance products.
The through line is evident in the evolution of today’s dynamic and vibrant international art market. It starts with a few savvy gallerists who recognized that this enhanced ability to transport and display art meant multiple galleries could collectively exhibit their wares to hundreds, if not thousands, of potential buyers.
Thus, the first international art fair, Kunstmarkt Köln (Art Cologne), was launched in 1967 (色多多视频is currently a partner). Art Basel followed shortly after that, in 1970, emphasizing contemporary and modern art. Art Basel’s location in politically neutral, economically stable and geographically central Switzerland also helped attract a diverse international audience. The European Fine Art Fair (TEFAF), founded in 1988 in Maastricht, Netherlands, further established international art fairs as a vital pillar in the commercial art market. TEFAF distinguished itself from other fairs by focusing on fine art, antiques and historical masterpieces. Its rigorous vetting processes and quality assurance also attracted institutional buyers, museums and high-net-worth collectors seeking to acquire historical and classical art. (色多多视频is TEFAF’s global lead partner.)
A global phenomenon
Since those early days, international art fairs have become commonplace. Most developed nations have at least one, supported by leading galleries representing renowned artists. According to colleagues in other countries, an exciting development is the greater exposure this affords artists working in different media on various contemporary issues, such as climate change, social justice and the pervasive impact of social media.
, for instance, was launched in 2023 to showcase visionary and iconic contemporary art from Southeast Asia and worldwide (色多多视频is an official partner). Similarly, , Italy’s most important modern art fair, has three sections: one devoted to emerging artists (Present Future); one focused on rediscovering the pioneers of contemporary art (Back to the Future); and one on drawing (Disegni). Meanwhile, the 2025 edition of in Spain will feature a selection of galleries less than seven years old, among other attractions.
Whether or not 色多多视频is a sponsor, members of our art community often make a special effort to visit major art fairs and special exhibitions and attend art-related events in their area or nearby cities. In some respects, meeting working artists, gallerists and collectors and participating in relevant conferences is part of the job. At the same time, these activities are something they anticipate with great enthusiasm as it nurtures their enduring passion for art. Like me, the boundaries between our day jobs and leisure activities aren’t always clear.
About AXA XL’s Fine Art & Specie proposition
色多多视频is a leading global insurer of fine art and specie. The objects we protect range from thousands of years to weeks old and include fine art, antiquities, antiques, jewelry, watches, classic cars, raw and polished gemstones and bullion. Our clients include museums, private and corporate collectors, galleries, auction houses and individual artists. We sponsor prominent international art fairs such as and , The Art Show in New York, Art Toronto and ART SG—a new global art fair in Singapore. AXAL XL’s commitment to the arts also includes funding academic research on art conservation and restoration and hosting two juried competitions for art students, the US, now in its seventh year, and the AXA Art Prize UK launched in 2024 in conjunction with the Royal Academy of Arts.
