But assorted legal disputes, investigations and periodic exhibitions featuring stored works have provided glimpses of specific pieces lost from view. Even so, some collectors whose businesses have come to depend on free port storage are a bit sheepish. And in a free port, their property is protected in climate-controlled environments, often under video surveillance and behind fire-resistant walls. David Hiler, president of the Geneva Free Port, said that as a result of the audit, the Swiss were working to address concerns about lack of transparency. “Works of art are created to be viewed,” said the director of the Louvre, Jean-Luc Martinez, who described free ports as the greatest museums no one can see.

Source: New York Times May 28, 2016 16:43 UTC