Insights into the creation of the exhibition ‘Unknown Familiars’ - the collection of Vienna Insurance Group

Lisa Berentsen01/10/2024 5 minutes

Responsibility

Philippe Batka and co-curator Vanessa Joan Müller selected the exhibits in a time-consuming process and published an extensive catalogue with essays on all the exhibited artworks to accompany the exhibition. I myself was able to support the curatorial team as a curatorial assistant. My tasks included organising the transport, drawing up loan contracts and insurance policies and coordinating all the necessary materials.

The six corporate collections are located in Serbia, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Austria. More than half of the works therefore had to be transported to Vienna from afar. We were actively supported by our colleagues in the respective countries, who provided precise measurements, packaging conditions and conservation guidelines. One key aspect that directly links art with insurance is art insurance. All works of art are comprehensively insured from the beginning, during and until they are 'back home'. This requires written and photo-documentary protocols, as well as compliance with the transport packaging on arrival at and departure from the museum. Depending on the material and value, a customised climate-controlled crate or three layers of bubble wrap are used.

An exciting example of the elaborate preparations is the almost 10 metre high wall installation 'A New Fiery Community' (2022) by Barbara Kapusta. The largest installation in the exhibition was specially adapted for the atrium of the Leopold Museum. As the artwork made of self-adhesive vinyl films has no fixed dimensions and is always produced on site, a lifting platform and a company were required to print the large-format films. The attached photos show the result of the precise planning between us, the artist and various companies.