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Sending any piece of fine art on an extended journey can be a stressful experience, but with art shipping and crating by Museum Services – praised by experts worldwide for meticulous care – you can trust that your artwork is in the best hands. Each custom-fabricated wooden crate is expertly crafted for maximum protection, ensuring your piece arrives as safely as possible, whether it’s crossing the country or traveling overseas.
Contact us today to discuss how our fine art shipping and custom crating services can take the stress off your plate.
Whether you’re shipping art domestically or internationally, our crating services provide your valuable artwork and fragile items with unparalleled protection and peace of mind.
We know that each art transportation situation is unique, and we design our crates based on your individual needs and specifications. For that reason, every crate we make is a custom fabrication, carefully constructed out of high-quality, durable materials. Depending on the piece and its destination, one of the following types of crate may be employed:
Designed for high-value works transported by an art handler, these crates are built with reinforced construction to provide an additional level of cushioning and protection on longer transits.
This is a simpler crate intended for single-use, domestic art shipping. These are often handled by a non-specialist freight company, so extra reinforcement is built in during the construction process.
These crates are reusable and feature locks instead of screws for increased accessibility. They are primarily used for traveling exhibitions, allowing the artwork to move safely between locations without needing a new crate each time.
Designed for long journeys with multiple handling points, our international shipping crates are robust and ISPM15 EU Certified. Our international crates are built to withstand handling by both dedicated fine art shippers and non-specialists across borders. We prepare all crates to withstand customs inspections, allowing for easy unpacking and repacking to minimize the risk of damage.
We begin by taking exact measurements of the artwork or object to be shipped so that we can custom-build a crate with enough space for an adequately cushioned interior.
Doing this means factoring in the specific requirements of the piece, such as its medium, its fragility, whether it is unusually shaped, etc. Fragile items will also require softer foam padding than more durable objects, which must be taken into account.
For a single art piece, a custom wooden crate is constructed to allow room for further padding as necessary. For a framed painting, this process may be fairly straightforward. For an unframed work or something like a heavily textured oil painting, handling frames may be installed to protect the art in transit.
When shipping groups of two or more objects, we determine whether they can be packed together or require individual crates. For instance, multiple paintings may be separately packed and shelved inside a single crate via specialty racks.
Skids are built into the crate’s bottom to protect sculptures and other large artworks and stabilize the shipment. Sculptures and complex items are further braced within the crate using foam blocks or custom supports to ensure no movement occurs during transit.
We first apply an archival wrap to the piece as an initial layer of protection to prevent any contact with the artwork’s surface. Glassine or archival tissue paper may also be used if the work is glazed. This is followed by the addition of a cushioning layer of foam or bubble wrap to protect the artwork from impacts.
A custom-made cardboard slipcase is then added. Slipcases are special boxes that encase the piece and provide additional support. The crate is then labeled with clear handling and orientation instructions.
Museum Services also handles the insurance for most of the artwork that we ship, so in the rare case in which an item is damaged in transit, we will take full responsibility and work with you to make things right, whether that means repairing the piece or providing compensation.
“I have worked with Russ for over 20 years now and as an international freight forwarder and US Customs broker, we have worked together on crating and transporting fine art. Museum Services has done packing/crating for Masterpiece many times, for pieces of artwork traveling overseas for an exhibition, or possible sale.
Once Museum Services finishes the crating, they normally transport the crate(s) to either the Minneapolis airport or the Chicago airport. On some occasions, they end up loading the crates into an ocean container, for sea transport.
For import shipments, Museum Services will collect from the airport and deliver to the client. Many clients are private individuals and require unpacking, installation, and crate disposal. The services offered by Museum Services have been professional and timely, as well as cost effective.”
Clients who utilize our crating and art shipping services have the peace of mind that comes with knowing their artwork has been securely packed into a custom crate built specifically for the task, prepared to the highest standards to be transported domestically or internationally.
Take the stress out of every step of the fine art shipping process by contacting Museum Services today.