The Role

Senior Fine Art Registrar – Boutique Family Office (Mayfair)

Martis Search is representing a Mayfair based Family Office to hire a permanent “Senior Art Registrar.”

This super-interesting and technical role sits within their Family Office and is responsible at a high-level as an “Art Registrar” for a large multi-million valued privately owned global “Fine Art collection.”

This broad role encompasses Accounting, Audit, Compliance, Insurance & Valuations, Reporting, Tax Reporting, Shipping, Storage Management of a global privately owned Fine Art Collection, as well as streamlining existing processes – you can see that there is a lot to do in this role.

It requires someone with extensive experience in this field, working with external Auction Houses, internal and external Lawyers, Customs and Excise departments (across multiple geographical jurisdictions) , COO’s, Fund Managers, art transportation and shipping specialists to name but a few.

This means having the ability to work with spreadsheets, data analysis and reporting, but also touching on the “Accounting & Taxation” side of working with an ever-growing global Fine Art Collection. You will also have sound previous working experience working with Art databases. Having any aptitude, or ability to use AI to automate processes is also highly advantageous.

Our client is ideally looking for someone who is of graduate calibre, but has previous “Art Registration” experience, or “Art Collections Management” experience gained from either a Shipping company, or Auction House perspectives.

The position operates in a dynamic, fast-paced environment and requires a high degree of discretion, adaptability, initiative and strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.

Our client offers hybrid working, with 4-days in the office and x 1 day working-from-home (with some potential flexibility to work more days from home).

Overview

Our client is are looking for a registrar to manage the movement and storage of a large private art collection. The role sits at the centre of the collection’s logistics and compliance – covering international customs and import/export requirements, shipping and handling, insurance schedules, and valuations for tax, insurance and estate planning purposes.

The successful candidate will work closely with the collections, interiors, legal, finance and tax teams:

Key responsibilities

Inventory and collection management

• Maintain accurate records of the collection’s location, condition, ownership and valuation
• Conduct and coordinate physical audits across all properties and storage locations
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date records in the collection management database
• Manage and negotiate external storage contracts globally, identifying opportunities to streamline costs

Customs and international compliance

• Manage customs, import/export movement of works globally
• Keep abreast of changing customs and cultural property regulations across relevant jurisdictions and advise the team accordingly

Shipping and logistics

• Coordinate shipping, packing, crating and installation of works with fine art shippers and handlers

Insurance

• Maintain and update insurance schedules to reflect acquisitions, disposals and revised valuations
• In collaboration with the finance team, review policy terms and coverage levels on a regular basis to ensure the collection is adequately protected

Valuations

• Coordinate periodic valuations of the collection for tax, insurance, estate planning and other purposes
• Liaise with external valuers and maintain an organised record of valuation history for each item
• Support the legal and tax teams with valuation data required for reporting, tax and other purposes

Data and reporting

• Ensure shipping, location, valuation and insurance data is accurate and well organised
• Produce regular reports on collection status, location, valuation and insurance position for internal stakeholders
• Implement and maintain a tech-focused document system for all collection records

Skills and competence

• Excellent IT skills, with strong proficiency in Excel and collection management/database software
• Confident and proficient user of AI tools – able to apply them practically and thoughtfully to improve efficiency and output quality
• Highly organised, with excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple workstreams and deadlines
• A self-starter with strong initiative – able to identify what needs to be done and act without being directed
• Comfortable building systems and processes from scratch
• Discreet and trustworthy, with an understanding of the sensitivity involved in working in a private family office environment

Experience and background

• Prior experience as a registrar, or in collection management
• Strong working knowledge of customs, import/export requirements across multiple jurisdictions
• Experience working with, or within, a fine art shipping company
• Experience managing insurance schedules and valuations for high-value collections
• Experience coordinating valuations for tax and other reporting purposes
• Experience implementing or maintaining inventory and data management systems for a collection

Salary

Between £70 k pa – £75 k pa (possibly higher, dependent upon experience), plus an annual bonus, pension and healthcare