Moving Original Art Across the Country

So many people are moving here right now, and art is the thing that most often arrives worse than it left.

Almost all of that is preventable. Here is what I would do.

Before anything is packed

Photograph every piece, front and back, plus a detail of each surface. If something arrives damaged, that photograph is the difference between a straightforward claim and an argument.

Gather the paperwork into one folder that travels with you rather than on the truck. Certificates, invoices, provenance records, appraisals.

And call your insurer. Household policies frequently do not cover goods in transit the way people assume, and moving companies carry very limited liability by default. This is a five minute call that occasionally saves an enormous amount.

Who should move it

For anything of real value, a fine art shipper rather than a general mover. It costs more and it is a different service. They custom crate, they climate control, and they understand that a painting is not a piece of furniture.

For everything else, a good household mover is fine as long as you pack the art properly yourself and label it clearly.

Packing, briefly

Glazed work gets tape across the glass in a grid, so that if it breaks the shards stay put instead of moving across the surface.

Unglazed painted surfaces should never have anything pressed directly against them. Use a spacer, cardboard corners and a frame that stands off the surface.

Then wrap, then a rigid box or crate. Mark it fragile, mark which way is up, and mark that it is art.

Everything travels vertically. Never flat, and never with anything stacked on it.

The four things not to do

Do not use bubble wrap directly against a painted surface, especially in summer heat. It can bond to the surface and it does real damage coming off.

Do not put art in a storage unit here without climate control. A Phoenix storage unit in July is one of the worst environments an artwork can sit in.

Do not leave it on the truck overnight if you can help it, and do not unwrap anything the moment it arrives hot. Let it acclimate still wrapped, ideally overnight.

And do not let anyone carry a large piece by the top of the stretcher. Two people, both sides, always.

When it arrives

Unwrap in a clean space, not a dusty one. Inspect each piece against your photographs and document anything wrong immediately, because claim windows are short.

Then let everything sit indoors for a few days before you start hanging. You are coming into a much drier climate than most of the country, and giving the work a little time to settle is genuinely worth it.

And when a canvas seems slightly loose after the move, leave it alone. That is the air, not damage.

If you are landing here with a collection and want a second pair of eyes on where things should go once they arrive, I am glad to help.

Warmly,

Dani