Moving a priceless painting or a delicate sculpture is a task where precision, expertise, and care meet to result in flawless execution. Experts in fine art logistics work day and night to ensure that every priceless, irreplaceable art item reaches its destination safe and sound. Here is a closer look at the process.
The Starting Point of Fine Art Logistics: Art Preparation
Each artwork’s journey starts long before it leaves the studio, storage facility, or gallery. Art requires meticulous preparation to withstand all environmental fluctuations and risks of physical damage during transportation. For this reason, art items are thoroughly evaluated before transfer to develop a customized packaging and shipping strategy that addresses their unique needs.
Packaging with professional materials is used to protect a valuable piece of art from all kinds of damage and external impacts. For extra-value pieces, custom crates may be designed and manufactured to ensure the maximum level of protection. Art that awaits transportation should necessarily be stored in a climate-controlled storage facility.
Secure Shipping
Now that all the preparation is done, the art object is ready for shipping. Fine art logistics at this stage includes the use of specialized vehicles equipped with air-ride suspension and GPS tracking. The former is needed to prevent vibrations, and the latter is vital for real-time monitoring of the vehicle’s route by the shipping team. Needless to say, the drivers and service staff of the vehicle should be experienced and well-trained professionals in terms of handling all kinds of art.
Common Challenges That Experts Need to Address
Art shippers face a variety of challenges at each stage of transportation, and they have to anticipate and address those risks to ensure safe deliveries. For instance, high-value shipments may become the target of thieves, so they should be transported in secure vehicles for added safety. Transit risks also include turbulence in flights and potholes on highways, and the shipping team should prevent damage by all means. One of the ways to add predictability and safety to art logistics is to avoid transportation in extreme weather and follow only carefully planned routes with a stable, well-developed infrastructure.
Fine Art Shippers is an expert art logistics company with over three decades of experience. We know all the risks of art transportation and develop custom-tailored shipping strategies that minimize risks at all steps. Contact us and give your invaluable piece of art an opportunity to travel risk-free in our safe hands.