The Hamptons, New York’s storied summer hideaway, is on the wrong side of Hurricane Irene this weekend and projected to get severe winds and storm surge. The Hamptons is also home to many serious art collectors who are prone to stocking and re-stocking their vacation homes with their collection’s highlights. So when an event with serious consequences arises, someone has to think about safeguarding the art. The New York Observer did a little reporting this weekend:
Bob Crozier, the founder of art shipping and storage company Crozier Fine Arts, told The Observer that teams of art handlers and conservators have been working throughout the week in the Hamptons, New York City and the surrounding region, in order to secure artworks or move them off of balconies and beaches and into safe locations like warehouses and residences. “There are hundreds of millions of dollars of art and objects along the shores,” Mr. Crozier said.
“I haven’t seen anything like this before,” Mr. Crozier said, when asked to gauge his clients’ response to the incoming storm compared to previous storm threats.
New York’s Art World Braces for Hurricane Irene (Observer)