What We Do
Should an AXA Art Insurance policyholder experience property loss or damage, our sole aim is to resolve this painful event expeditiously and fairly. Our claims professionals are experts who focus only on art and collectibles. They know the world's leading authorities among appraisers, conservators and restorers and are committed to restoring damaged property or settling the claim as quickly and smoothly as possible.

What You Should Do
Alert the local authorities to report theft or mysterious disappearance of an insured item. They will need to make a report and perhaps conduct an investigation. Always inform your broker, who will get in touch with us.

When Art Is Lost or Stolen
To begin the claims process, we will need several things. First, verification of the loss. This is typically accomplished with a police report. If theft is strongly suspected and the object was quite valuable, the police will likely wish to conduct an investigation, which will be greatly aided if you have left the scene undisturbed.

Second, we will need a thorough description of the object—ideally, an Object I.D. report including photos from your inventory. This description will help us and the appraiser determine the object's current market value. Once value is established, and all pertinant documentation submitted, the claim will proceed quickly towards resolution.

Any art or collectible insured through us is automatically listed with The Art Loss Register, an international database of stolen works. Since its inception in 1991, it has helped recover more than 1,000 stolen objects worth a total of $100 million. Anyone considering purchase of a work of art or a collectible from any source but the artist or a primary dealer—the artist's official representing gallery—is urged to check with Art Loss Register to be sure it is legitimately offered for sale. The small fee involved is well worth the assurance of legal ownership.

Should a stolen work we have paid a claim on turn up in public, we will attempt to recover it. If successful, we will ascertain its current market value then offer it to our policyholder for that price. It is always the policyholder's decision whether to buy the work back or keep the claim payment.

When Art/Collectibles Are Damaged
Every situation in which a fine object receives damage is distinct. In general, the policyholder provides a description of the work, an account of what occurred if possible, and a condition report if possible.

For example, a large painting recently arrived in the U.S. from Europe. In the warehouse a forklift accidentally pierced the work's packing crate, damaging the painting. The policyholder informed us that he fervently hoped the piece could be restored. After our initial inspection, we located a conservator who specialized in the artist's work. He examined the piece and arranged to move it to a warehouse where he could safely proceed, as the piece was quite large. Fortunately the damage was soon restored, to the immense relief of the owner. The piece is now hanging once again in the owner's home.

When damage occurs, a thorough description of the object is often helpful. Ideally it will be an Object I.D. report including photos from your inventory. (For a description of the Object I.D. program and a form you can print or download, click here.) This description will help us and the appraiser determine the object's current market value, should a settlement for depreciation or total loss be necessary.

We will work with the owner to determine if a damaged artwork is restorable. A collector and her husband returned from a trip to find their apartment had become a sauna thanks to a broken hot—water faucet. Several drawings and paintings suffered steam damage. An independent adjuster was dispatched to inspect the damage, followed by a paper conservator and a paintings conservator. The respective conservators then shipped the works to their studios. The drawings were fully restored, but the paintings had been more seriously harmed. An appraisal was ordered and a settlement for depreciation was agreed upon.