Services

Lauraine Diggins provides professional advice to private collectors, corporate collections and investors in regard to appropriate acquisitions and strategies for collecting. These strategies are established with the client and are based on understanding the client’s needs and meshing these with the relevant and professional advice from Lauraine Diggins Fine Art.

We are able to source appropriate non-Indigenous Australian art and Australian Aboriginal art from our own stock, commission works, or select works from other sources. We can assist in establishing an acquisition budget, set parameters and a direction for the collection and ensure the collection is relevant and interesting. We can provide our expertise in regard to both individual purchases and for the acquisition of existing collections.

Our experience as a seasoned auction purchaser, enables us to understand the auction room and provide both a discreet and savvy service for clients wishing to acquire works through the auction room.

We are able work together with architects, designers and consultants, so as to source and provide artwork relevant to client needs. We can undertake site inspections and facilitate the viewing of artwork onsite.

Many investors acquire fine art as part of their Superannuation Fund portfolio. Any superannuation fund undertaking such investment must retain its complying status. Lauraine Diggins Fine Art has sought the professional advice of Salmon Giles Pty Ltd., accountants and taxation specialists, in regard to Australian art as an investment for a superannuation fund and we can bring to your attention, in consultation with your accountant, and subject to the Investment Strategy of the superannuation fund, that there are a number of criteria that must be met to ensure that the purchase is appropriate.

Lauraine Diggins Fine Art may provide formal insurance valuations, collection appraisals and valuations for the Australian Government Cultural Gifts Program.

Lauraine Diggins is approved to value the following Australian paintings, drawings, prints, sculpture and decorative arts; Australian Indigenous art and material culture including paintings, prints, drawings, textiles and ceramics after 1880; Hermannsburg watercolours, Arnhem Land art, Western Desert art and Urban art, under the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts program.

To undertake Cultural Gift valuations we require:

• (for Australian Aboriginal art) certificate provided by the community or dealer at the time of purchase
• documentation provided by the commercial gallery selling the work
• copies of invoices and date of purchase
• any catalogue or stock reference numbers
• any literature or exhibition details
• photographs

Fees: Lauraine Diggins Fine Art charges a basic fee of $300 for one work. Additional works to be valued are charged at $30.00 per item. In regard to private collections, corporate and institutional collections, the fee is assessed by considering the amount of items and the time and research involved. Travelling time is charged at $150.00 per hour. GST is additional to these fees.

The Cultural Gifts Program operates under the auspices of the Federal Government’s Department of Communications, Information and Technology. The program enables a donor to gift an item to an organisation that has received registration as a recipient institution from the Australian Taxation Office. For further information view The Cultural Gifts Program website which can be accessed through our links page.

Lauraine Diggins Fine Art has developed strong working relationships with the most accomplished and respected conservators working in Australian art and Australian Aboriginal art. Depending upon the conservation issues, we are able to select a suitable conservator to under take the appropriate action. We must advise that in some cases and depending on the nature of the required conservation, a guarantee of outcome cannot be assured. We work with conservators of paper, paintings, bark, ceramics, stone and metal.

The Gallery also enjoys strong working relationships with a number of framers and can select the most appropriate for the framing specification. We also work with frame restorers and have access to period frames.

As part of our services, we are able to assist with freight, both national and international, storage, professional picture hanging and insurance through our own service providers. Internationally, we favour a freight handler door to door and are able to track the purchase to its destination. We insure with a highly regarded international company. This enables us to facilitate insurance cover on any transit.

We have access to and can recommend short term and long term storage suitable for fine art on the basis of single art works or collections.