Insurance for artists
Studio, commissions, a residency abroad: where artists really need cover – and where they don't. Honestly sorted, without insurance panic. Written from a German perspective; the principles travel well.
Not legal or insurance advice – this overview helps you ask the right questions.
What really matters
- Professional liability: covers damage arising from your professional activity – e.g. while installing an exhibition, in a borrowed studio or on commissioned work. Many institutions and residencies now require proof before they hand over spaces or equipment.
- Studio/contents insurance: works, material and tools against fire/water/ burglary – worthwhile from a certain stock of work upward. If you work in a rented studio, also check whether the landlord's policy covers your own works at all (usually not, without a separate add-on).
- Health insurance abroad: a mandatory check before any residency outside the EU — your statutory or private health insurance often covers only a fraction abroad, or nothing.
What is usually unnecessary
Expensive special policies for individual risks your private liability or the institution already covers. First check what the residency/organiser provides – then insure what is left. Double cover for the same risk only costs, without adding anything.
Transport insurance for works
An often overlooked point: transporting works to an exhibition or residency is rarely insured automatically — neither through private liability nor necessarily through the hosting institution. For valuable or fragile works it pays to ask specifically who is liable in case of damage, before the work leaves the studio.
Künstlersozialkasse and insurance
If you are health- and pension-insured through Germany's Künstlersozialkasse (KSK), the most important piece of social security is already in place — but the KSK does not replace professional liability or studio insurance; those are separate topics. Details on the KSK itself, who is eligible and which deadlines apply, in the dedicated guide.
Before a residency: the 3-point check
- Does the institution require proof of liability insurance?
- Are your works insured in transit (often: no)?
- Does your health insurance cover the host country?
Frequently asked questions
Do I need professional liability at all if I have private liability insurance?
Private liability generally does not cover damage arising from professional activity — that is exactly the gap professional liability closes. Whether you need it depends on your practice (installing exhibitions, working in third-party spaces, commissions).
Does the institution pay for the insurance, or do I have to arrange it myself?
It varies — some residencies and institutions provide basic cover, others require your own proof. It is rarely explicit in the call; asking before you arrive pays off.
Is exhibition insurance worthwhile for short group shows?
Often dispensable with low work values; advisable for higher-value works or loans — what counts is the real value of the works shown, not the duration of the exhibition.
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