Artwork captures the wonders of the world and is one of the greatest forms of recording history. From protecting a famous Picasso painting to securing the Declaration of Independence. Protecting these assets are not just about losing out on an investment but more importantly losing a priceless piece of history.
There are a few common ways to secure your artwork.
- The obvious physical guard
- Alarm contact sensor
- Surveillance camera
- RFID sensor
Each system type has its advantages and disadvantages. Some may more tailored to cost while others to versatility.
Art and asset protection is becoming more and more popular not only for museums but corporate offices and personal residences as well. Museums are more prepared to handle many situations that may occur then office space and other venues. From video surveillance command centers, intrusions sensors, armed guards and most importantly on staff curators.
But there is one issue that has been problematic for decades.
How to politely approach a patron for touching a display, using a display as a social media prop and inevitably damaging priceless artwork? We have the solution, video surveillance!
The artwork and assets which are truly in need of upgraded security options are those of corporate office spaces and personal collections. These facilities and residences usually rely solely on their intrusion systems. Some do not even have video surveillance on the property.
Paintings are much more complicated to secure due to their materials. Canvas prints are sensitive to direct light, heat, oils and many other acids. Many people are hesitant to install a sensor on them and potentially ruin or corrupt the appraised value of these pieces. Even though these assets are beautiful, they are more often purchased as an investment.
Over the years of designing and installing security systems for various facilities we’ve dialed in the three best solutions for most scenarios.
GPS Tracking
GPS tracking is one of the most accurate ways to locate a person or item. There are many GPS options ranging from a traditional hardwired tracker to a mobile phone app using the location settings of your cellular device. Setting up the tracking parameters will help to truly know what is happening with your asset. Some features include start/stop, speed, acceleration, braking, drawing the route and many other notifications.
Video Surveillance
Using video surveillance with motion analytics has been refined for museums and cultural properties. Integrating your CCTV system with enhanced asset analytics is a great addition to your technical security posture. This system is known to have observed 75x more touches than physical security guards and also preventing 92% of all artwork touches. Improve your customer experience by being warned via speaker instead of confronted by a physical guard.
Alarm Sensor
Standard alarm artwork sensors are the most commonly used solutions for asset protection. For example, attaching an alarm magnet to the rear of a painting and the corresponding transmitter/sensor to the wall behind will keep the artwork secure in place. As soon as the painting is moved away from the wall (separating the magnet from the sensor) an alarm is triggered. This sensor can be used to guard paintings, sculptures, furniture and other objects.
RFID Sensor
RFID sensors can pinpoint the location of an object more precise than other sensors. If the exact location of your asset within the facility is your objective this solution may work best. With RFID tags attached to the asset and RFID hubs strategically placed around the facility, we have the ability to track an item anywhere throughout the space. This is a great solution for collections that are often swapped out keeping the display original to it’s visitors.