Securing Pricelessness

DeliBoy writes "In light of public discussions over security after The Scream was stolen, CSO Online offers an interesting look at museum security. The article details a system designed without budget restrictions intended to secure a painting in a public gallery. Interesting how the consultant balances public access with the need for security, comprised of redundant vibration sensors, overlapping microwave and infrared motion sensors, and an old-fashioned guard. "

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[Anonymous Coward]

reference to SCO. They did it!

Of course that's nothing...

[Cigarra]

...for Thomas Crown

KARMA WHORING REPOST, MOD DOWN IMMEDIATELY

[Anonymous Coward]

parent has no useful content

The text...just because they won't let me read it

[Anonymous Coward]

The site would not let me read the text. It kept going to a survey screen. Realized ti ws the pop up blocker. Yes it is thier content. Yes it is their choice. But it is just evil. So...

The Art of Securing Pricelessness

Museum security is a kind of art form unto itself. A way to all at once create safety and accessibility. To bring us as close as possible to inspiration while preventing miscreants from stealing it.
BY SCOTT BERINATO
THE ART OF MUSEUM security is no less profound than some of the masterpieces hanging in the space that needs protecting. It makes sense out of a paradox. To make works of art difficult to steal or damage—while at the same time allowing a connection between the masterpiece and the beholder—requires generous amounts of planning, some cool technology and a little ingenuity. We found someone with experience in all three: Steven R. Keller, principal of his own museum security consultancy and former executive director of protection services at the Art Institute of Chicago. We asked Keller to show us how he'd secure a priceless painting if money were no object. The security program he designed is comprehensive; it not only protects the work itself, but also the room it hangs in and the museum as a whole.

To give a sense of how in-depth Keller's program would be, consider the hierarchy he'd put in place to secure the museum's premises with surveillance, scanning and alarms: "First, I want to see everyone who walks in—with a good picture. And I want security checks of carry-ins there"—in other words, backpacks and purses. Second, he looks to service doors that aren't normally used. "I'd put a camera and an alarm there," he says, and then he'd install parcel controls to check the artwork and other stuff going through those service doors. "Finally, I'd button down the exteriors, doors and windows and grounds."

Staff security is next, since, as with any business, the inside job is the predominant threat. Keller would put in access controls with pass cards, and he'd create security clearance levels. And he'd perform background checks on all employees.

Turn the page to see Keller's specific security plan for keeping this artwork safe from thieves, earthquakes and—perhaps the most challenging nemesis of all—the gaggle of 10-year-olds overtaking the museum on their fifth-grade field trip.

1 Small and wireless, vibration sensors placed behind a painting can detect the lightest fingertap. Multiple sensors can be customized—one as a backup, another to detect if someone tries to access the painting through the wall. A tripped alarm signals the control room (or a cell phone or pager), describes the problem, and can provide a map of the site and an electronic photo of the piece of art.

2 Many priceless works have inventory numbers written on the canvas back and recorded in a registrar's catalog. "In the event of a theft, you'll sometimes get 20 different calls from people claiming to have the piece and willing to return it for a price," Keller notes. "In one case, we leaked the wrong numbers on purpose to sort out the phony extortionists from the real one. Finally, someone called and said, 'You've got the wrong serial number.' We knew we had our guy." The catalogs keep data about a canvas's thread count, highly magnified photographs of a painting's details and other proof of authenticity.

3 To hang a piece of art, eye hooks on the back of the frame attach to "L" hooks on the museum wall. At the bottom center of the painting, a metal boiler plate screws into both the frame and the wall. You'd have to work pretty hard to wrench the painting away. On the West Coast, where earthquakes can torque paintings affixed in such a way, museums use interlocking connections that offer some give.

4 Glazing protects some paintings and is commonly used with objets d'art shown on pedestals. But it is used judiciously since artists and scholars prefer as little interferen