I would point it out to them and be prepared to let it go.

One of my subs accidentally turned on the gas and then went home for the night and nearly killed me. (My neighbors were getting ready to call 911 and get the door broken down). My significant other came home early at that point and was able to rouse me.

What do you say? "You nearly killed me on Friday, now what?"

Anyway, if it was that important, I could see the contractor saying that is was up to you to make sure it was protected. You didn't go down in the basement and see it uncovered during any of this time?

It's probably their fault somehow, but I wouldn't have trusted something that meant so much to me to workers.

I'm sorry this has happened to your treasured photograph. I'd be very upset.

You probably don't want to hear this, but if I had something of that much value to me, I wouldn't let the GC's guys, who aren't nearly as careful as the GC, move it anywhere. Or leave it uncovered in an area used for staging and storing. God knows what got dragged over the surface. Although there were some good, responsible workers on my reno, there were also a few bozos who I wouldn't have back in my house under any circumstances.

Good luck.

Oh....I feel for you. ;-((

We always move our art when we have work done...we just don't want to take the chance that something will happen and it will become a he said/she said situation and then a debate over value/replacement (if even possible).

I hope you (as we do) have the art insured. While you may not be able to replace a limited edition piece, you will at least recover "replacement value" and begin your search for a new piece. No...it will never be the piece you lost but a new piece to treasure as time marches on.

Good luck!

How long was it in the basement? Hours? Months?
Did you save the packing crate it came in? I find that's very handy to keep on hand for _objets_ when they must be moved/stored. Is the piece covered by a rider on your homeowners?.
Casey

I wouldn't give up on having it restored. I have seen some amazing restoration work.

I'm sorry this happened to you! However, like some of the other replies, I would say that I would not hold the GC responsible on this. You have no proof they broke it, for one thing. Plus, the GC can argue that you should have moved it somewhere safe if it was so important.

We had our electrician break an antique chandelier in our house (not replaceable) but we let it go because he claimed he was just trying to hang and straighten the chandelier and it snapped off b/c it was "too fragile." How do you prove fault? We could have argued and thought about doing so but we realized it was the cost of trusting other people w/ fragile and expensive things w/o proper supervision and care instructions...

Hopefully you have homeowners insurance and can make your claim that way!

Oh dear. This is a very tough lesson. I'm so sorry.

I think you can contact a conservator and see if a repair is possible. Take photos. Do not handle it too much though. An archive or local museum may have references or one on staff. The photographer may also be available. It's certainly worth the effort for a valuable piece.

As far as the GC..he shouldn't have moved the art. But you shouldn't have left it on the wall either (Sorry to say). I have a houseful of my art. All the hallways and adjoining rooms will be cleared before our reno. These guys are all over the place. they sweat, they lean, they prop.
Art is tricky with homeowners insurance unless there's a specific valuation or appraisal rider as part of your policy (or an umbrella policy), but you can try.

Good luck

Agree with the others that you should contact your insurance agent. I'm so sorry this happened to you.

I agree, as painful as this is (and I'm so sorry this happened!), I think it's best to forgive and forget. Besides the fact that it's impossible to prove fault, etc., I'd rather save the relationship and move on. Thank God it's just a "thing" --as precious as it is to you, in the end, thankfully it's just an object that was damaged rather than a loved one being hurt (or gassed!! Lol, Pampliset!)

I hope you find an even more special photo to replace it.

Well this is a tough situation. Our kitchen GC told us to take down all photos and art work from the other side of kitchen walls before they started work. The GC for our family room remodel did the same (which was a pain because it is a long hall to my office where I have dozens of patent and other work related plaques hanging). So in both cases it was part of the prep we were expected to do to get ready for the work and the GC's made sure we knew it.

I think that the GC should have at least asked you to take it down when he realized that it needed to come down, but you are the ones who knew how valuable and irreplaceable it was and should also have taken some responsibility to have it moved to a safe place and not in the work or staging area.

Your GC has done his best to compensate you for it. IMO, it's time to take it as a lesson learned and get over it.

I hate the word "should."
It means someone isn't doing something the way someone else wants them to.

That said, If he's willing to take responsibility (which I'm not sure I'm clear on) perhaps he'll split the costs of a conservator or restoration effort.

This totally sucks. I had an antique Chinese pen and ink screen RUINED by "restoration" people after our fire. Get references on that.

Sorry. No good answer, I guess.

So sorry.
Renee

IT truly is a shame but I would echo those of others who have said that there are "miracles" in the restoration work. Please, before giving up on this, contact your closest museum or university with an art restoration theme to see what they might be able to offer you.

Good luck

My husband will ask the home owner to put things they value away. That just protects both parties. When there many people coming and going during a job.

As others have said you have -zero- proof that the contractor or his workers damaged your art. Really, none. You can speculate that it happened in X or Y or Z fashion, done by A or B or C. However nobody actually saw damage being done, and nobody even saw any kind of obvious circumstantial evidence at the time. Doesn't mean you are wrong, but it certainly doesn't sound provable to any degree of certainty.

So unfortunately I also can't possibly see how you could reasonably expect your GC to accept responsibility given that what you describe is an item removed from its location and stored for months in another area. Sounds like restoration or repair, on your dime, is your only recourse.

I'm so sorry this happened to you and it's a tough lesson to learn, trust no one and protect your artwork and treasured things, no one cares about them as much as you do. I've learned the hard way over the years with moves and renos.

was it in a place where
someone carrying a zippered bag could have grazed against it, walking by ?

The sooner you get over it the better. Don't even be angry at yourself. If there is ever any "next time" similar in nature, take evasive action within minutes or hours -- in other words, don't assume some other person will have moved your stuff properly according to its needs. Instead, take action all by yourself. It's your stuff, yours to care for, yours to watch over, yours to double check. Hth.

Did you file a police report yet?