Curator of antiques and works of art - CAOA
The Curator of Antiquities and Works of Art (CAOA) is the departmental representative of the Curator of Historic Monuments for all matters concerning the protection and conservation of movable objects. Because of its mission, it is placed under the direct authority of the prefect of the department, exercising its regulatory missions under the scientific and technical control of the regional conservation of historical monuments.
He is also in close contact with the architect of the buildings of France (ABF) and head of the departmental unit of architecture and heritage (UDAP) He thus makes the link between the central and regional administration of the Ministry of Culture and the elected officials of the department, the owners of the movable objects and the affected clergy.
It has the following tasks:
MONITOR
The CAOA is responsible for the proofing of movable objects protected under historical monuments. This operation, which must be carried out every 5 years, consists of a verification of the location, the state of conservation and the presence of protected objects. It is done on the spot in the presence of the owners and the assignee.
The curator of antiquities and art objects is also the whistleblower with the police and central administration services in case of theft or disappearance.
PROTECT
The CAOA conducts an inventory of objects that may be protected as historical monuments. All objects of public or private property (excluding written archives and objects kept in museums) whose preservation is of interest from the point of view of art, history, science or technology are concerned. The CAOA may be the source of a request for protection or may relay that of an owner or a third party. It is he who prepares a documentary file, consisting of a historical and technical study so that it is submitted to the competent commissions.
Two levels of legal protection are applied to movable objects. These are the same as for buildings:
• theregistration whose decision rests with the regional prefect after consultation with the Commission régionale du patrimoine et de l'architecture (CRPA). It concerns objects of sufficient interest to make their preservation desirable.
• the ranking acting on a proposal from the Regional Commission on Heritage and Architecture (CRPA) to the National Commission (CNPA) and whose decision is signed by the Minister. This protection concerns objects of high quality for the nation, aesthetic or historical, and whose exception or rarity require a high level of protection and surveillance.
VALUE
Valorization means returning the heritage to the community and, as a priority, its inhabitants. The CAOA plays an advisory role with the owners for the preparation of restoration files and authorizations for work on classified objects, preliminary declarations on inscribed objects, for the enhancement of works (basement, security, etc.).
It can assist in the development of public information materials.