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Art insurance

You can get art insurance in one of two ways: through contents insurance or as a specialist policy.

Home & Contents Insurance

Many insurance providers insure art, but the type of art insurance you'll need will depend on the art's value and the kind of coverage you're looking for. Unless you own fine art, your home and contents insurance may be able to provide the protection you need.

What is art insurance?

Art insurance is a type of insurance that provides financial protection in the event that a piece of art or an art collection that you own is damaged, lost or stolen. In most cases, there are two different ways that you can insure art.

What are my art insurance options?

  • Contents insurance. Getting contents insurance is a clever way to cover your precious artworks from theft and accidental damage.
  • Home and contents insurance. If you have home and contents insurance, your art may already be covered. Home and contents insurance looks after all of the belongings in your home, as well as the building and property itself. It provides cover for theft, weather events, accidental damage and more. However, most policies usually have a specific limit for how much they'll cover you for individual items. So if you have valuable art — of say, more than $12,000 — you may need to call your insurer and let them know you'd like to increase your cover amount for those items. Most insurers will let you do this, depending on how expensive the art is. In exchange, you'll pay a slightly higher premium.
  • Specialist art insurance. If you have an expensive art collection or fine art, you may want to opt for an insurer that specialises in high-value artworks. This type of coverage is suitable for art dealers, collectors, artists and galleries and can cover you for loss or damage, burglary and theft, including while in transit. These types of companies generally specialise in fine art and so know what kind of protection it needs.

Cover your art with contents insurance

Art can be covered under home contents as long as it's under a certain value. If you have fine art or unique collections, you might want to look into a specialist policy.

Name Product AUFHO Works of art Collections and memorabilia Home Contents Cover Accidental Damage to Home or Belongings Fire, Storm & Theft Damage Online Discount
Youi Contents Insurance
Best Rated Brand
Youi Contents Insurance
Limit not mentioned
Limit not mentioned
Optional
Our verdict: Finder’s 2022 Insurer of the Year for Customer Satisfaction and our Top Pick for Fire Damage cover. It’s good if you want a tailored quote over the phone.
Budget Direct Contents Insurance
Up to $5,000 with a limit of $12,000
Up to $2,000
Optional
Our verdict: The most popular insurer on Finder, Budget Direct prioritises low-cost cover and gives you 15% off your first year's premium if you purchase online. You need to pay extra for flood cover and accidental damage.
QBE Contents Insurance
$20,000
$5,000
Optional
Our verdict: It covers essentials such as fire and theft plus comes with some good perks such as security upgrades after a burglary and up to 10% off your first year.
Qantas Contents Insurance
Up to $10,000 with a limit of $25,000
Up to $2,000
Optional
Our verdict: Earn up to 40K Qantas Points for joining by 29 January. Plus save 30% on your 1st year’s premium for purchasing a combined home and contents policy online. T&Cs apply.
ALDI Contents Insurance
$2,000 per item and $12,000 in total
$2,000
Optional
Huddle Comprehensive Contents Insurance
$1,000 per item and up to $5,000
$1,000 per item and up to $5,000
Honey Contents Insurance
$2,000 per item and $12,000 in total
$2,000
Optional
Our verdict: Honey gives you $250 smart sensors to reduce accidents and estimates the value of your contents. It was also a finalist for the comprehensive category in the Finder Awards.
Australia Post Contents Insurance
$20,000
$5,000
Optional
Our verdict: Covers common claims such as fire, storms and water damage. Like most contents policies, you need to pay extra for accidental damage cover.
Kogan Contents Insurance
$20,000
$5,000
Optional
Our verdict: Good comprehensive cover (issued by QBE). Also, get a 6% discount off your first year plus $10 ongoing monthly credit. T&Cs apply.
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Which home insurance companies cover art?

The table below outlines which home insurance companies on Finder cover art, as well as their specific limits. If you need higher limits for your art, most provide additional cover — you'll just need to pay slightly more for your premiums.

InsurerHow they cover artLimits
AAMI insurancePaintings, pictures, works of art, antiques, sculptures, ornaments and art objects.$2,500 per item or set up to a total of $5,000.
NRMALogoGeneral Contents - Works of Art (means paintings, sculptures, photographic prints and figurines).Up to $2,500 in total.
Budget Direct LogoPaintings, pictures, works of art, sculptures, or art objects.Up to $5,000 for any item or set, with a limit of $12,000 in total, unless noted separately as specified contents on your Insurance Certificate.
Youi logoPDS mentions of paintings or works of art.No limit is mentioned so we'd suggest contacting Youi to enquire further about possible limitations.
Allianz logoPictures, paintings, works of art, antiques or Oriental rugs.$2,500 per item, set or collection - up to $7,500 in total for each category of the items, sets or collections listed in this section.
QBE logoArtworks, rugs and antiques (Fine art such as paintings or pictures, Persian carpets, rug or wall hangings, tapestries, vases, ornaments, sculptures or similar. It does not include jewellery, watches or collections).$20,000 per item, set or pair.
Honey insurance logoWorks of art, figurines, moulded objects, vases or curios (except for jewellery, gold or silver artefacts).Up to $2,000 per item and $12,000 in total.
Real insuranceCollectables - items such as loose carpets and rugs, artwork including paintings, pictures, sculptures, art objects and curios and collections of coins, stamps and other memorabilia.
  • Essentials ($1,000 per item or up to $2,500 per group for each insured event).
  • Top ($1,000 per item or up to $5,000 per group for each insured event).
GIO LogoPaintings, pictures, works of art, antiques, sculptures, ornaments and art objects.
  • Classic - $10,000 per item or set up to a total of $50,000.
  • Classic Extras - $20,000 per item or set up to a total of $80,000.
  • Platinum - $200,000 in total.
Suncorp logoPaintings, pictures, works of art, antiques, sculptures, ornaments and art objects.
  • Classic - $10,000 per item or set up to a total of $50,000.
  • Classic Extras - $20,000 per item or set up to a total of $80,000.
  • Classic Advantages - $200,000 in total.

This information is accurate as of September 2024.

What does art insurance cover?

If you buy art insurance from a specialist provider, you can usually have the policy tailored to your needs. You can generally get cover for:

  • Fire
  • Natural disasters
  • Theft
  • Accidental damage
  • Damage done at home and during transit
  • Loaning your art, e.g. for display at exhibitions
  • Restoration
  • Replacement
  • Lost value, e.g. if a repair reduces the market value of the artwork
  • Expenses incurred due to defective title

Frequently asked questions

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Editor, Insurance

Gary Ross Hunter was an editor at Finder, specialising in insurance. He’s been writing about life, travel, home, car, pet and health insurance for over 6 years and regularly appears as an insurance expert in publications including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guardian and news.com.au. Gary holds a Kaplan Tier 2 General Advice General Insurance certification which meets the requirements of ASIC Regulatory Guide 146 (RG146). See full bio

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Gary Ross has written 668 Finder guides across topics including:
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