Few possessions are as precious as fine art and rare antiques. When you want to ship a collection from one place to another, rule number one in the art world’s lexicon is: Never take chances. That means engaging the services of a world-class fine art and antiques transporter.
What Is It?
Art and antiques transporters gather, pack, and ship important works of art. Their services are designed to accommodate moving individual works of art, entire collections, or even touring exhibitions from one site to another. Shipping is expedited by ground, ocean vessel, or air, both domestically and internationally. Top-tier art transporters coordinate all travel arrangements, giving security top priority, as well as the proper filing of all documentation pertaining to the artwork’s provenance, customs regulations, and insurance.
Who Needs It?
Individual and corporate collectors of art and antiques, museums and galleries.
Benefits
The staff of art handlers in any top-notch art moving company is versed in the contemporary science of art care, preservation, and transportation. These fine art and antiques movers understand how to develop, design, and construct wooden crates, as well as steel-reinforced vaults, meeting the exact safety specifications of each piece in your collection. What’s more, these specialized companies also recognize the imperative – whether your inventory is being shipped by air or ground – that the transport climate be meticulously monitored and controlled. Sudden or drastic shifts in environmental temperature or moisture can wreak havoc on any artwork, whether the material is marble, oil, canvas, paper, or wood. Intricate heat and smoke detection units are requisite component parts of climate monitoring as well.
The best art and antiques transporters constantly track the movement of your collection and can report its whereabouts at any point during its journey. These firms also outfit their vaults with audio sensors that respond to the slightest augmentation in decibel levels, and window switches that react to the slightest touch. Combined with motion sensors, glass break detectors, and non-stop internet-enabled video surveillance monitored by security staffs, the ultimate security of your artistic treasure is assured.
Engaging a reputable art transporter with international experience is especially crucial if you’re moving any valuable artwork outside the United States. In addition to safe shipping, customs and documentation are integral aspects of international moves, especially when it comes to provenance. Provenance validates the history of ownership of any significant artwork, and if there’s any suggestion that your Roman bronze figure of Artemis, (or any other ancient or exotic masterpiece), might have illicitly ended up at the famous Manhattan auction house where you purchased it – you’re most prized possession might well be “repatriated” by foreign officials on the lookout for looted art. European governments, notably Germany, Italy, Sweden, and Russia, are especially sensitive to issues pertaining to cultural inheritance. A knowledgeable art transporter will validate the authenticity of your artwork’s provenance by matching it against international databases dedicated to art and cultural property crime.
Risks
While all responsible art transporters fully insure your art during transit, be sure to read any references to “force majeure.”
