Where to Begin When Shipping Fine Art

Shipping a piece of fine art can require as much thought, planning, and expert execution as the artwork itself took. Indeed, if you are new to art shipping, it can be difficult to know where to begin with shipping a pricey painting, a print, or some fine art photography to a buyer.

But if you’re an artist, a photographer, or a small gallery, one thing you do know is that getting a work of art off safely to its target destination is imperative, both in terms of the cost of replacing a damaged piece and the hit you take to your reputation when things go awry.

The good news is that by following a few simple, common-sense steps, you can come up with a plan to protect a fine artwork on every step of its journey.

Here’s how.

The Preliminaries 

Before you do anything, you need to understand a few basic things about the artwork you intend to ship – namely, its size, weight, and fragility. Understanding these things upfront will inform how you approach the subsequent stages of shipping the artwork.

You should also familiarise yourself with the format and medium of the artwork – for example, is the artwork a framed painting, a stretched canvas, a print, or even a sculpture?

Only once you have the abovementioned pinned down can you start to think about the best packaging materials for it and the most appropriate means of transportation.

The Container

Getting the mode of transport container right for a fine piece of art is essential. For a mounted piece of artwork or a stretched canvas, you will need a box or a similar cuboid-shaped container to accommodate the work.

However, for unmounted pieces, it’s generally a safe bet to roll up the artwork and pop it into a cylinder or tube for shipping.

And if you need to ship large artworks, high-value sculptures, or historic works, professional art shippers will often use custom-crafted boxes and bespoke padding, like the team at redpath use.

Layered Protection

For pieces of artwork that you want to give the maximum protection, it’s advisable to take a layered approach when packing.

Multilayering is a simple idea, but it needs a bit of planning to pull off properly. The approach is all about protecting the artwork from bumps and jolts as it wends its way to the recipient.

It’s not simply a case of wrapping the work in bubble wrap and some newspapers – you don’t want ink transfers from the latter getting on your art, for example.

The layering needs to give protection and use a material suitable for the artwork in question.  

In general, this means the following layers should be used:

• Surface protection: Glassine or acid-free tissue applied as the first layer will protect the artwork against chemical damage.

• Moisture barrier: A layer of water-repellent material needs to be applied – a plastic bag will do the job – to protect the work from water moisture.

• Impact protection: The third layer should do the heavy lifting of protecting it against bumps and knocks, and should feature bubble wrap and corner protectors.

• Shock absorption: Another layer of physical protection should be applied that sandwiches the work between two pieces of robust cardboard.

• External protection: The final layer is the outer container that the work will be shipped in, but the protection here is the materials you use to plug any voids so that it can’t shift while in transit.

Documentation

Before you entrust your package to the shipper, you will want to ensure you have yourself covered from an insurance point of view. People often use third-party or specialised art insurance if the artwork is particularly pricey or valuable.

The best way you can make sure you have yourself covered in the event you need to claim with the shipper or the insurance company is by following these steps:

• Take photos of the work from multiple angles.

• Record measurements and the condition of the artwork.

• Get proof of posting and record all tracking information.

Conclusion

Shipping fine art is unlike shipping everyday items – it requires a much more methodical approach to packing, container choice and insurance cover.

But by following a few easy-to-follow steps, the artwork can get safely and soundly to its destination, with both the work and your reputation intact.

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Our writers like to find the latest trends in gardening the outdoors. We launched the award-winning Seasons in Colour in 2015 and the luxury property and interior decor blog www.alltheprettyhomes.com in 2024 to cover all your interior design, travel and lifestyle inspiration needs.