Don't Forget Your Passport! Advice on Shipping Your Art

by pmaxwell, 20 June 2008

This is Part 2 in a series of articles presented by AXA Art with Shipping and Handling Advice from Crozier Fine Art

So you’ve just bought a work of art and probably want to bundle it up and carry it home, but often works of art have to be shipped. While shipping a work of art may seem daunting, we have a couple of questions you should reflect on to ease the process. Fear not; shipping a work of art is almost as simple as traveling internationally on vacation. Four major categories to consider are: Handling, Packing & Crating, Carriers, Storage, and Formalities and Customs.

Handling, Packing and Crating: Just as you choose your luggage (with the exception of Louis Vuitton and Goyard) to keep your belongings safe and easy to handle, artwork also requires similar attention to detail.
-Who will handle the works?
-Is the packing appropriate for transport?

Carriers: Once you’re packed, you look forward to taking the shortest, most direct route possible to your destination and the case is the same for artwork.
-How long will your works be in transit?
-What parts of this transit will be by an art carrier and which by a non-art carrier?
-What precautions are necessary to mitigate risk to the artwork when in transport?

Storage: Just as you choose hotels that are comfortable and safe, you want the best for your artwork when it stays “overnight”.
-In those in-between times where exactly will the artwork be?
-Will there be climate control, is it secure, is it an insurance approved warehouse?
-Who handles your crates and artworks at these places?

Formalities, Customs, Etc.: When going to another country you check your passport and/or visa, take the same precautions for your artwork.
-Which governmental agencies will partake in the export and import the items?
-What are the regulations in the countries your artwork will be visiting?
-Is there insurance in place that covers your artwork throughout the process as listed above?

Like a good travel agent, a fine art shipping company should help you take care of these questions. Hopefully with this brief introduction you can make an informed decision about who that company should be.

AXA Art
Crozier Fine Art