Privacy Policy

This page is maintained by The Blue Chip Room to explain how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information in the course of operating a private art advisory and secondary market service.

Discretion is central to our work. We handle all personal and transactional information with strict confidentiality, and we only process data when it is necessary to provide our services, comply with legal obligations, or with your consent.

The Blue Chip Room is a private art advisory based in Sandton, Johannesburg. We specialize in sourcing, placing, and advising on blue chip artworks for collectors, dealers, family offices, and estates.

For the purposes of data protection, The Blue Chip Room is the data controller of personal information provided through this website, our contact forms, our newsletter sign-up, private sales inquiries, event RSVPs, and direct communications.

We collect only the information we need to respond to your inquiry, manage your access to private sales, process a holding deposit, or keep you informed through our newsletter.

This may include your name, email address, phone number, mailing address, collection interests, authentication status, and any message or instruction you choose to send us. For authenticated users, we also maintain a record of your sign-in provider and account identifier.

We do not intentionally collect sensitive personal information unless it is directly relevant to a specific advisory matter and you have chosen to provide it.

We use personal information to respond to inquiries, provide advisory services, authenticate access to private sales listings, process event registrations, send newsletters you have signed up for, and fulfill legal or regulatory obligations.

We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. We do not use your data for automated profiling or unrelated marketing without your explicit consent.

Communications about artworks, market conditions, or collection opportunities are sent only to individuals who have requested them or with whom we have an existing advisory relationship.

Where applicable data protection law requires a legal basis, we process personal information on the basis of: performance of a contract or steps taken at your request before entering into one; our legitimate interests in operating a private advisory business, provided those interests do not override your rights; compliance with a legal obligation; or your consent, which you may withdraw at any time.

Your information is stored in secure, access-controlled systems provided by our technology partners. We use industry-standard encryption in transit and access controls to limit who can view or modify data.

Access to private sales information and client records is restricted to authorized personnel. We review access regularly and require confidentiality commitments from anyone who handles client data.

No system can guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that affects your personal information, we will take prompt action to contain it and notify affected users where required by law.

We share personal information only with trusted service providers who help us operate our website, manage communications, process payments, or authenticate users. These providers are contractually required to protect your information and use it only for the services they provide to us.

We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or regulatory process, or to protect our rights, property, or safety.

In the context of a private artwork transaction, we may share limited contact details between buyer and seller where both parties have agreed to proceed, and only to the extent necessary to complete the transaction.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to remember your cookie consent choice, authenticate users, understand how visitors use the site, and support analytics through Google Analytics.

You can manage or decline non-essential cookies through the cookie banner shown when you first visit. Essential cookies required for security, authentication, and core functionality cannot be disabled without affecting your experience.

When you subscribe to our newsletter, we store your email address and your chosen frequency: monthly, quarterly, or occasional. You may update your preferences or unsubscribe at any time using the link in any email we send.

If you withdraw consent or unsubscribe, we will stop sending marketing communications promptly, though we may retain your contact record to honor your preference.

Depending on your location, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict, or object to the processing of your personal information, or to receive it in a portable format.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law and may ask for reasonable verification of identity before acting on a request.

We keep personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected, to meet legal, tax, and regulatory requirements, or to protect our legitimate interests in resolving disputes or enforcing agreements.

When information is no longer needed, we delete or anonymize it in a secure manner.

Our website and supporting services are hosted by providers that may process data in countries outside your own. Where data is transferred internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses or providers certified under recognized data transfer frameworks.

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of the website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, or if you would like to exercise your data protection rights, please contact us.