The Guide aims to provide practical advice from tax, finance, legal and insurance experts on how best to tackle the short and medium-term challenges in the UK art market during the COVID-19 crisis.

Adam lends his expertise on the topic of claiming insurance for Business Interruption. Unsurprisingly, this is an area which has received a great deal of press attention in the last month, as the global pandemic has forced more and more galleries to close.

Adam says: “You should, in the first instance, contact your insurance broker to determine whether you have this cover as an extension to your Art Dealers Insurance Policy. There are a wide range of specialist art insurers, with differing terms, conditions and exclusions and no one policy is the same, as the insurance needs of galleries vary greatly.”

In addition, he covers important insurance aspects unoccupied premises and working from home. With galleries closed, does insurance remain in place unchanged? It’s essential to check whether you have any unoccupancy clauses in your gallery policy, Adam strongly advises.

Whilst Clare tackles the subject of Art Fair Cancellations. Inevitably more and more events have been affected by the UK’s lockdown and all fairs are now either cancelled or postponed.

In this situation, it’s important to check the scope of your cover. Clare advises: “As with Business Interruption cover, there are a wide range of specialist art insurers with differing terms, conditions and exclusions. The position will be further complicated by the stance adopted by the Fair organiser and the amount of refund and compensation they are proposing to offer. In some instances, fairs are offering to defer the paid- up stand costs to 2021.”

To read more and benefit from Adam and Clare’s full advice download ArtTactic’s full report.

Whether you run a gallery or are a private owner, to discuss any aspect of art insurance, don’t hesitate to get in contact.

We are delighted to support St Barbe Museum + Art Gallery with their first silent auction. Like all cultural institutions, they have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

On 9 November 2020, they are launching a seven-day online auction, re-stART, selling 38 works of art generously donated by artists of national standing. These include work by John Illsley, Chris Whittaker, Pete Gilbert, Will Rochfort and many more.

Bids can be placed from 9 -15 November via www.stbarbe-museum.org.uk

Proceeds will go to support St Barbe’s Community and Schools programme – working with children, families, older people and minority groups to provide education, social engagement and just fun!

Here is a link for more information www.stbarbe-museum.org.uk/discover/news.php?p=2020-10-06-re-start-online-fundraiser

After an archaeology and art history degree at Cambridge and working with an established dealer in Victorian pictures, Anna set up her own small gallery in the early ‘80s. In spite of it paying its way and having proved both a good introduction to potential clients and a meeting point for local artists, domestic pressures and the school run meant that Anna had to give it up after a few years to work from home.

She decided at this point that rather than simply buy ‘names’ she would instead be guided by eye, instinct and ‘occasional misplaced optimism’. It was a propitious time for Modern British art; not only were many young and entrepreneurial dealers promoting artists like Dod Proctor and Laura Knight but also runners were supplying a steady flow of work from artists’ studios, ripe for promotion. It was in this climate that Anna established her raison d’être – a combination of work she admired and liked from unknown names, women, and East Anglian artists.

Armed with good cross section of stock, Anna took her pick of well-run specialist fairs such as the Works on Paper Fair and the 20/21 at the Royal College of Art. But then they tended to disappear or change, and many good, smaller dealers were suddenly left homeless. That was when Anna decided that there was a real need for a fair aimed at smaller, specialist dealers like her and Connect was born in 2019.

Both Anna and her Connect partner, James Manning were keen to do something different with the Fair. They did not want to run it as a business but rather a co-operative, made up of a family of friends in which everyone contributes their expertise. They welcomed dealers who were completely new to the game, based outside London and from diverse specialist areas whether it be Japanese painting or Old Master drawings. Each dealer is encouraged to bring their own clients and the Fair provides a plentiful supply of Private view invitations and general tickets.

Anna is very aware of all the changes in the art market but remains optimistic that there will always be an audience for well-made art at affordable prices on offer in a friendly informal setting by approachable knowledgeable dealers. She hopes that she provides a place of discovery and education and an opportunity to fall in love with the unexpected.

We are delighted to be a partnering with the Connect Art Fair and look forward to discovering something new. For us at Hallett Independent, art is not merely a feature of the job, but an enriching part of our lives, as such we believe it’s our duty to support public art institutions and in particular independent art fairs and exhibitions like this one.

The Fair is being held at The Mall Galleries, London on 23 – 27 March, tickets are now on sale at www.connectartfair.co.uk

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Image credit: Development of a Square – Green by Sir Terry Frost RA, from Gwen Hughes Fine Art