How to Package an Art Work for Safe Transportation
Regardless of whether you are an authentic proprietor of an art gallery or just a casual collector, art transportation is a vital stage of growing your collection.
Buying art is generally useless assuming the piece doesn’t show up at your doorstep in the condition you got it in. Usually ignored and dismissed as a simple formality, art packaging and transportation can pose difficulty to collectors with no experience.
This guide shows you how to package artworks for easy transportation.
How to Package Paintings
Suppose you intend to personally move a painting, without the help of the professionals, then the main variable that should be represented is if you are moving a framed or an unframed work. Whichever you are transporting, make sure that you don’t directly touch the painting, instead use tissue paper or white cotton gloves.
Assuming you are dealing with an unframed piece, do the following:
- Envelop it with acid-free tissue paper.
- For extra protection against dampness, you may also enclose the fine art by plastic.
- Now, you will need to put a couple of layers of cardboard on the two sides of the new piece.
- Next, you can apply the external cover and take two bits of the folded cardboard, place the piece in the middle of them, and safely tape all sides. Don’t forget to mark the bundle as ‘fragile’.
Nonetheless, if your specific case needs you to move a framed work, then you need an alternate method. Do these:
- Most importantly, get a box or construct a carton that the piece can fit in.
- Ensure that you leave about three inches of space on all sides of your frame.
- You will also need to enclose your painting with acid-free tissue paper.
- Next, you can wrap a bubble fold over the art piece, guaranteeing satisfactory coverage on the corners. This is because they are easily damaged, especially when being transported.
From that point, you can place a layer of froth on the lower part of the carton. This makes a layer to support the frame.
How to Store Your Art After Transportation
You have effectively packed and shipped your painting (or other art pieces), now you need proper storage. Whether you plan to put the piece in your house, gallery, or a local museum, the stake of risk still seems high. Don’t let your guard down yet.
Follow the tips below:
- You want to stay careful, delicate, and determined as you take it out and acquaint it with its new environmental elements. Equivalent care is needed when opening the work of art.
- Assuming you want to store the art inside its package bundle for a while, remember to find a suitable area for it.
- Never store art pieces somewhere dry or sodden.
- Instead of stacking, rack it.
- Keep your artwork away from fluctuating temperatures.
Again, safely transporting your piece from one point to the other is one thing, how it is being handled once it gets to its destination is another important thing altogether.
Hiring Professionals Local Carriers
Consider the stress of packaging your art, finding a reliable transport service to help you ship it, and handling other technical aspects. What if you can hire some local professionals to do all these for you?
Using a same day express courier will be a viable option if you want to minimize the risk of going your way, especially if this is your first time.
Among the factors that will help you decide if you need professional help or not include the distance and the size/weight of the fine art.
Common sense shows you whether you can handle it or not. Flow with it. Part of the benefits of using a professional carrier is the handling of import/export documentation as well as helping you tackle different issues you may not be able to personally handle.
Insurance and the Artwork
Depending on the cost of the artwork, insuring the artwork against any damage on transit will be ideal too. That way, if the artwork gets damaged on transit, you can get financial compensation for the piece of art.
Not to mention, most courier services have insurance cover. However, most often the amount the courier service insurance policy covers is very small. Therefore, if the art is expensive or has the potential to become sought-after in the future, then insure it. Getting insurance cover for the piece of art should be done before you send it through a courier service.
Get an experienced art expert to inspect the artwork and let you know the potential value of the artwork if you are unsure.
Conclusion
Transporting an artwork requires more care and packaging skills. If you are new to this, you can hire some local professionals like Convelio in UK who specialize in handling fragile items like arts. This saves you time and energy.
