Art Insurance
The artsy side of insurance
Alexandra Castiglia, ’19, learned that art history suited her as early as high school. As an undergraduate, she navigated various sectors of the art world to find her place. Her landing spot: insurance.
As an account executive with Risk Strategies Co., Castiglia is the point of contact between clients — museums and galleries, private collectors, or even packing and shipping companies — and underwriters. Her day-to-day work depends on the client. Galleries are a fast-paced environment and involve communicating with multiple contacts, whereas private collectors require a comparatively slower, individual-driven process.
“We get to do the fun side of insurance,” Castiglia said. “We work with clients who are passionate about art, and we get to share that passion.”
“We get to do the fun side of insurance. We work with clients who are passionate about art, and we get to share that passion.”
Her path to her current career was driven by one question: “How can I engage my love for art in other areas?” As an undergraduate, academic adviser and professor of art history emerita Margaret Denton connected her with Laura Doyle, ’06, who introduced Castiglia to fine art insurance. Her arts management concentration and internships with the registration departments of Capital One, David Zwirner, and the Museum of Modern Art furthered her interest in the operational side of art.
Castiglia made a point of absorbing as much knowledge as she could from a global network of art professionals, some of whom Doyle connected her with. Her intersectional exploration, winding as it was, led her exactly where she wanted to be.
“A lot of art and art history students know of curatorial jobs, academia, and museum work, but there’s so many other job opportunities available to students,” she said. “There’s an entire industry and market around art that can lead to careers in numerous fields, such as marketing, investing, museum donor relations, exhibition design, logistics, and more that serve all types of individual strengths while still being rooted in a love for art.”