When it comes to irreplaceable and invaluable art, there’s no room for error. After sorting out any potential kinks along the way, the courier’s ultimate goal is to deliver the artifact in one complete (and undamaged) piece. Couriers go to great lengths to protect art from theft and mishandling, like monitoring airport warehouse activity to accompanying masterpieces on 20-hour truck rides. The ultimate logisticians, couriers must coordinate with museum officials, customs agents, government agents, and shipping employees to ensure a smooth journey. The most valuable pieces are accompanied by a courier from “wall to wall,” in art biz lingo. Objects like ceramic dishes, pottery, and vases are particularly vulnerable to changes in air quality and temperature, so additional climate control precautions are necessary.įinally, the pieces set off by rail, air, or sea. The padding material employed varies depending on the artwork - conservators use everything from banana peels to butcher paper to ensure smooth transport. Compared to large, delicate works, paintings are relatively easy: a specially designed museum crate and a variety of padding will suffice, though older paintings require shock-resistant boxes. Step one? Designing a custom solution for each piece of artwork. Once the invaluable artifact has been cleared for take-off, the journey from point A to point B can begin. And that’s just at the planning phase - actually moving the artwork is a whole other story.

Once the conservators give the green light, the two museums draft a loan agreement that details idiosyncratic standards of care and display, packing and transportation arrangements, and insurance requirements.Īll of this preparation can take months to complete, and entails coordination between administrators, designers, conservators, and curators at both institutions. Conservators, the museum employees tasked with preserving and tracking art, will draw up a condition report that documents any blemishes, structural instabilities, prior repairs or alterations to the piece. Could its fragile painting weather the cross-country trip? It’s up to conservators to decide. In this scenario, the Met would first conduct a risk assessment. is piecing together an exhibit, and wants to display an oil painting from the Met. Artifact loans are common in the art world, but require more than simply affixing a FedEx label to pull off.

Precious cargo transportation