How to Ship Large Art: The Art of Handling Heavy Sculptures

How to Ship Large Art: The Art of Handling Heavy Sculptures

Art is varied and can take a variety of forms, from a small painting on the wall to a large, heavy sculpture on a pedestal. Each of them requires safe, delicate, and professional handling at all stages. Therefore, if you’re a fan of massive sculptures and want to get one delivered to or from your destination point, you need to know the ins and outs of how to ship large art. Here, the experts of Fine Art Shippers share some insights and best practices accumulated throughout the years of work with sculpture transportation.

How to Ship Large Art Items?

As soon as you start preparing your large artwork for transportation, you need to perform a thorough initial assessment of its size, weight, shipping requirements, and sensitivity of materials. Based on this information, you will be better positioned to plan the shipping process in line with safety precautions.

No matter which packaging option you choose, don’t neglect the internal padding that will protect your artwork from shocks and vibrations. It’s also important to check whether your sculpture or mixed-media artwork has any fragile or moving pieces; these ones will require internal bracing to stay intact during transit.

You will also need professional equipment for moving and loading your sculpture, e.g., a forklift, which you can hire from forklift specialists such as Alto Handling, a crane, and a dolly. Make sure only trained art handlers operate this equipment to load and move your sculpture; in this case, the risk of damage is minimal.

How to Ship Large Art: The Art of Handling Heavy SculpturesTurn to Fine Art Shippers for Professional Service

Now you know everything about how to ship large art items. However, it may still be hard to manage this process from start to finish on your own. If you need professional assistance with moving extra-size artworks, such as sculptures, feel free to contact Fine Art Shippers for help.

Our team is highly experienced in heavy sculpture handling and ready for any challenge on your part. We possess extensive expertise in handling heavy stone and bronze sculptures; we can also create a custom crate based on your sculpture’s dimensions and package it securely for transportation from NYC abroad.

We have recently shipped a large lion sculpture made of stone, weighing nearly 1,500 lbs, from Massachusetts to California by our art shuttle. Thus, you can delegate a delicate and responsible shipping task to us, knowing for sure that your sculpture will be professionally handled, moved, loaded, and unloaded.