The Dangers of Moving Fine Art

There are a number of good reasons why somebody might want to move art work. It could be a museum getting a new exhibit from a foreign country. It could be an temporary exhibition on a world tour. We see also more and more galleries and wealthy individuals acquiring expensive pieces of art and therefore having to move them for a number of personal reasons.

The top most important dangers when moving fine art are:

1. Direct physical forces: shock sustained by a dropped crate full of Fabergé eggs or vibration from a bad truck.

2. Incorrect temperature: not planning the route well can cause your fine art to transit from hot and humid places to dry and cold ones, potentially ruining your art pieces.

3. Incorrect humidity: this is of course related to the quality of the packing and the route that is planned for the shipment.

4. Pest issues.

5. Water.

6. Vandals and thieves: fine art is most at risk of being stolen when it is moving, when it is not in the safe compounds of the gallery or museum.

The fragility of art has never been a secret, but it wasn't until the 1970s that art packing and transport got serious, as museums began applying standards developed by the military and the electronics industry to packaging treasures. As art values shot skyward in the '80s, a group of institutional professionals made an effort to codify the tricks of their trade. The effort resulted in "Art and Transit," an international conference held in London in 1991. "If you have ever wondered what happens to the painting inside the packing case when it topples off the tailgate of a truck or is rammed by a forklift, then this was the conference for you," reads a summary by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works.

Moving art is especially difficult because of the very different nature of all the art. Fine art can be a small 10 by 10 painting and it can be a large 20 meters sculpture that is hanging from the ceiling of a big gallery. You obviously do not attack the problem the same way. Moving fine art is therefore considered as an art in itself because very often the solutions do not come already made in a text book. Experience and creativity comes in handy.

If you are working in this field you can learn more about the mistakes of others and share your experience of moving fine art [http://www.finearts-movers.com].

Alex Teo is the author and moderator of [http://www.finearts-movers.com] - This blog is dedicated to all professionals/or not, that had to deal with the pain of moving fine art.

Alex Teo has worked in the field of specialized moving services for more than 10 years and wishes to share his experience with everybody who might need it.

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