Art and photography

Brush with danger

Whether it is CryptoPunk #5822 selling for 8,000 ETH or the Mona Lisa being valued at over $800 million, art – real or intangible, is big business and the risks of theft and damage come with hefty price tags.

In 2012, Claude Monet’s Argenteuil Basin with A Single Sailboat was punched and Mark Rothko’s Black on Maroon was daubed with paint. In 2022, a man broke into the Dallas Museum of Art, shattering glass display cases with a metal stool and damaging several ancient works, including three Greek artifacts and a Native American contemporary ceramic.

As well as insuring art in galleries and on tour, London Market underwriters provide guidance how to make sure the packers, shippers and security are picture perfect.

Meet your risk expert Imge of an arrow
Art and Photography Blob shape
Simple half round circle Simple half round circle

Grace Best Devereux

Grace Best-Devereux

Loss Adjuster

Graphic of an opening speech mark Graphic of a closing speech mark

If you’re lucky enough to own an artwork by Andy Warhol or have a collection of antiques that are damaged, chances are it could be Grace Best-Devereux who comes knocking at your door...

Read Grace's profile Imge of an arrow

If you’re lucky enough to own an artwork by Andy Warhol or have a collection of antiques that are damaged, chances are it could be Grace who comes knocking at your door. Grace is a loss adjuster specialising in fine art and photography. “I’m the face of insurance,” she jokes. But she has a point.

Loss adjusters are specialists who investigate when things go wrong. If an insured artwork or photograph is damaged, Grace’s job is to assess the damage, consider whether it can be repaired and report to the insurers the facts at hand. Grace calculates an accurate value for the item, connects artworks with the best restorer for the job and, if the piece is damaged beyond repair, makes payment recommendations so that owner can be compensated. But that’s not as simple a task as you might think.

“I may have to do a lot of financial analysis and research,” Grace explains. “The value of art is not fixed. For example, if the artist died in the last year, the value will probably have risen. I’ll also confirm the history of the artwork and possibly conduct a full investigation on the situation of the loss. Art claims can, on occasion, be fraud.”

Born in America, with a British dual citizenship, Grace was always drawn to the art world and began her career as a sculptor. After working for a fine art museum in Seattle, she moved to London to complete a Masters’ degree with the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, where she published her dissertation on insuring contemporary art. After a stint as a gallery manager, she joined a Lloyd’s insurance broker before moving to loss adjuster McLarens.

“I started as a sculptor,” she says, “but realised I wanted a career related to the business side of the art market. Now I see and interact with art and artists of all kinds.” As an adjuster, Grace spends much of her time building collaborative relationships with the insurance companies that sell these specialist policies and the brokers who deal with the client. Her work takes her to art galleries, museums, storage facilities, vineyards, and the homes of wealthy wine collectors.

Timothy Stevens

Tim Stevens

Fine Art Underwriter

Graphic of an opening speech mark Graphic of a closing speech mark

Despite having no background in the world of art, Tim spends his work life helping museums, art collectors and dealers to protect valuable paintings and sculptures against accidents and damage.

Read Tim 's profile Imge of an arrow

Despite having no background in the world of art, Tim spends his work life helping museums, art collectors and dealers to protect valuable paintings and sculptures against accidents and damage.

Tim has worked for Hiscox, a leading insurance company, for four years but his route into the art world was an unconventional one.

He studied Economics with Spanish at The University of Birmingham and wanted to live and work in a multi-lingual environment, so he got an internship with Admiral in Seville. “I loved working for Admiral but the work was very much about car and home insurance for individuals, so when I thought about a career in financial services, my initial thoughts went down the well-trodden path of banking.

“But because I had insurance on my CV, I got a call from a recruiter who explained to me about the London market, the types of large and complex risks it works with, and I saw that insurance was much broader and more interesting that the bit I had seen. Every day you hear something on the news that affects our clients and touches your work.”

Tim’s lack of any formal background in the art world has not posed a problem in the development of his career. “At the end of the day, art is an asset which has a value. Understanding the analytics of what you might charge for a policy and what it covers is the important part. Things like what the piece is, where and how it is being displayed and whether it is being moved are all key considerations.”

“Art is both dynamic and quirky” continued Tim “which means that there is always something new to learn. It is also a global business which give plenty of opportunity to travel. I have been to Australia twice over the past twelve months which is not something I expected at all.”

Tim, supported by Hiscox is also cracking on with his professional qualification, looking to pass the exams to achieve the Advanced Diploma in Insurance through the Chartered Insurance Institute. “There is a lot that is technical about what we do, and you need to get to grips with that, but it is also incredibly social and you build great relationships with your colleagues and also brokers and competitors.”

Emma White

Emma White

Senior Underwriter

Graphic of an opening speech mark Graphic of a closing speech mark

Not every job will give you a chance to work on the world’s greatest art collections – but it’s all in a day’s work for Emma.

Read Emma's profile Imge of an arrow

Emma works for insurer Liberty Specialty Markets, working on a team thinking about what could possibly go wrong in the art world, and how much it might cost someone to put right. An English literature graduate from the University of Exeter, she spent a day working in Lloyd’s of London, the heartland of specialty insurance, and was hooked. “I loved it! At the end of the day, I knew I’d found what I wanted to do. The people, the culture, it all just clicked.”

Art is an international business and as part of a team based in London, Emma travels frequently. She was in New York in April 2022, Malta in May and in June she went to the TEFAF art fair in the Netherlands. Later in the year she hopes to travel more to visit her colleagues, brokers, and clients.

Emma says: “You don’t need to understand art from the beginning – although I have since taken a course in art history to learn more. Our main requirement is to understand it as an asset. We need to know what it is, where it’s being displayed, what damage could happen to it, and whether someone could repair it. Context is key.”

As Emma builds her career, she sees the value of professional qualifications, so has passed the exams to be an Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute and is working towards her Fellowship.

Her maths and economics A levels have been useful. She says: “You need numeracy. We’re a financial services company. We price things, we have business plans, every policy is a contract. But you’ve also got to be good with people and enjoy the networking. The London market is a very social place.”

FAQs

Graphic of a question mark

Have questions? We have lots of answers! Check out our carefully curated FAQ section, designed to help provide you with the right information.

Read our FAQs

Latest job opportunities

Posted 11 days ago

Human Resources Apprenticeship

Fixed Term

  • Human Resources

Posted 10 days ago

Account Handler Broker

London

Full Time

  • Brokers

Posted 9 days ago

Casualty – Financial Lines Summer Internship

London

Fixed Term

  • Underwriters

Posted 11 days ago

Apprentice Software Developer

London

Fixed Term

  • IT

Posted 2 days ago

Claims Operations Apprentice

London

Full Time

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 10 days ago

HR Support Apprenticeship

London

Fixed Term

  • Human Resources

Posted 3 days ago

Risk & Compliance Apprentice

London

Fixed Term

  • Risk Modellers

Posted 9 days ago

Underwriting Graduate Scheme

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 3 days ago

Specialty (Re)Insurance Apprentice

London

Fixed Term

Posted 11 days ago

Finance Apprenticeship

London

Fixed Term

  • Finance

Posted 9 days ago

UK Commercial Property Summer Internship

London

Fixed Term

  • Underwriters

Posted 9 days ago

Compliance & Risk Internship

London

Fixed Term

  • Risk Modellers
  • Marketing & Business Development

Posted 3 days ago

HR Apprentice

London

Fixed Term

  • Human Resources

Posted 9 days ago

Graduate Insurance Broker Scheme

London

Full Time

  • Brokers

Posted 9 days ago

Operations Internship

London

Fixed Term

  • Marketing & Business Development

Posted 9 days ago

Insurance Apprenticeship Programme

London

Fixed Term

  • Underwriters

Posted 12 days ago

Insurance Apprenticeship Programme

London

Fixed Term

Posted 11 days ago

Underwriting Analyst

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 26 days ago

Claims Apprentice

London

Fixed Term

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 26 days ago

Underwriting Apprentice

London

Fixed Term

  • Underwriters

Posted 12 days ago

Insurance Operations Apprentice

London

17/03/2025

Posted 12 days ago

Claims Apprenticeship

London, Glasgow, Fareham

Full Time

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 11 days ago

Apprentice Business Analyst

London

Fixed Term

  • Marketing & Business Development

Posted 12 days ago

Claims Apprenticeship

London

Full Time

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 12 days ago

Business Apprenticeship Programme

London

Fixed Term

  • Marketing & Business Development

Posted 12 days ago

Insurance Work Experience

London

Fixed Term

Posted 12 days ago

Apprentice Account Handler

London

Full Time

Posted 26 days ago

Political Risk Underwriting Apprenticeship Programme

London

Fixed Term

  • Underwriters

Posted 12 days ago

Compliance and Risk Apprenticeship

London

Full Time

Posted 12 days ago

Actuarial Apprenticeship

Swindon, Fareham

Full Time

  • Actuaries

Posted 12 days ago

Underwriting Assistant Apprenticeship

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 12 days ago

Commercial Insurance Underwriting Apprenticeship

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 12 days ago

HR Apprenticeship Programme

London

Fixed Term

  • Human Resources

Posted 12 days ago

Data Apprenticeship – Sales & Distribution

London, Birmingham

Full Time

  • Data Analysts

Posted 12 days ago

Data Apprenticeship 2025 - Retail underwriting

London, Manchester, Croydon

Full Time

  • Underwriters
  • Data Analysts

Posted 26 days ago

Marine Claims Apprentice

London

Fixed Term

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 26 days ago

Distribution Apprentice

Posted 15 days ago

Underwriting Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 15 days ago

Risk Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

  • Risk Modellers

Posted 17 days ago

Insurance Insight Week

London

Fixed Term

Posted 19 days ago

Internship Programme

London

Fixed Term

  • Actuaries
  • Data Analysts
  • Finance
  • Human Resources

Posted 19 days ago

Legal Vacation Scheme

London

Fixed Term

  • Law

Posted 26 days ago

Free Online Training Programme - Claims

Online

1-2 Hours

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 26 days ago

Underwriting Property Apprentice

London

Fixed Term

  • Underwriters

Posted 26 days ago

Underwriting Financial Lines Apprentice

London

Fixed Term

  • Underwriters

Posted 26 days ago

Underwriting Entertainment Apprentice

London

Fixed Term

  • Underwriters

Posted 26 days ago

Governance Analyst Apprentice

London

Fixed Term

  • Law
  • Marketing & Business Development

Posted 26 days ago

Insurance Underwriting Apprentice

  • Underwriters

Posted 24 days ago

Allianz Rotational Graduate Scheme

Guildford

Full Time

  • Underwriters
  • Data Analysts

Posted 24 days ago

Allianz UK Placement Student

London

Fixed Term

  • Underwriters
  • Data Analysts

Posted 24 days ago

Tax Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

Posted 24 days ago

Actuarial Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

  • Actuaries

Posted 24 days ago

Insurance Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

  • Marketing & Business Development

Posted 24 days ago

Business Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

  • Marketing & Business Development

Posted 24 days ago

Markets Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

Posted 24 days ago

Internal Audit Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

  • Law

Posted 30 days ago

Claims Technician

London

Full Time

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 30 days ago

Graduate Analyst

London

Full Time

  • Data Analysts

Posted 31 days ago

Insurance Discovery Day

London EC3N 2LS

Insight Day

Posted 32 days ago

Underwriting Assistant

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 33 days ago

Graduate Claims Apprentice

London

Full Time

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 33 days ago

Underwriting Apprentice - School/College leavers

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 40 days ago

Trainee Claims Associate

London

Full Time

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 45 days ago

Casualty Reinsurance Claims Specialist - Entry Level

London

Full Time

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 30 days ago

Junior Credit Controller

London

Full Time

  • Data Analysts

Posted 36 days ago

Allianz Commercial Graduate Program

London

Full Time

Posted 68 days ago

Underwriting Apprentice - Renewable Energy

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 68 days ago

School Leaver Programme

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 68 days ago

Lockton Re Graudate Actuarial Analyst

London

Full Time

  • Actuaries

Posted 68 days ago

Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

  • Brokers
  • Claims Professionals
  • Underwriters

Posted 68 days ago

Lockton Re Actuarial Summer Internship

London

Fixed Term

  • Actuaries

Posted 71 days ago

Compliance Apprenticeship Programme

London

Full Time

  • Human Resources

Posted 68 days ago

2025 Summer Internship

London

Full Time

  • Brokers

Posted 71 days ago

Data Insights & Propositions Apprenticeship Programme

London

Full Time

  • Data Analysts

Posted 68 days ago

2025 Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

  • Brokers

Posted 68 days ago

2025 Apprenticeship Programme

London

Full Time

  • Brokers

Posted 71 days ago

Political Risk Underwriting Apprenticeship Programme

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 75 days ago

Insurance Summer Internship

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters
  • Claims Professionals
  • Law
  • Marketing & Business Development
  • Actuaries
  • Data Analysts

Posted 75 days ago

Underwriting Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 80 days ago

Underwriting Assistant - Power Generation & Utilities

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 82 days ago

Actuarial Summer Internship

London

Fixed Term

  • Actuaries

Posted 93 days ago

Underwriting Summer Internship

London

Fixed Term

  • Underwriters

Posted 93 days ago

Graduate Claims Analyst

London

Full Time

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 96 days ago

Risk, Audit and Compliance Analyst Graduate Programme

London

Permanent

  • Human Resources
  • Law

Posted 93 days ago

Graduate Underwriting Analyst 

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 93 days ago

Multinational Summer Internship

London

Fixed Term

Posted 99 days ago

Apprentice Underwriting Services Executive

London

FTC

  • Underwriters

Posted 93 days ago

Claims Summer Internship

London

Fixed Term

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 106 days ago

Wholesale Underwriting Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

  • Underwriters

Posted 96 days ago

Legal Trainee

London

Permanent

  • Law

Posted 108 days ago

Claims Summer Internship

London

Fixed Term

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 93 days ago

Underwriting Summer Internship

London

Fixed Term

  • Underwriters

Posted 96 days ago

Insights Analyst

London

Permanent

  • Actuaries
  • Data Analysts

Posted 103 days ago

Finance Industrial Placement

London

Fixed Term

  • Finance

Posted 96 days ago

Trainee Underwriter, Insurance

London

Permanent

  • Underwriters

Posted 110 days ago

Apprentice Claims Adjuster

London

Full Time

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 106 days ago

Claims Operations Analyst

London

Full Time

  • Claims Professionals

Posted 96 days ago

Trainee Underwriter, Reinsurance

London

Permanent

  • Underwriters

Posted 138 days ago

Finance Graduate Programme

London

Full Time

  • Finance

Specialty Insurance podcasts

Hosted by Annabel Baker & Grace Starling

Emma White

Emma travels the world, visiting art museums and the homes of wealthy individuals as part of her work as a fine art and specie insurance underwriter.

Reasons to work in the London insurance market