How to Find The Best Art Handlers

If you own valuable art or other cherished artifacts, you understand the importance of correct handling when ensuring an intact and elegant display. Even a scuff or bump can send its value plummeting, so it behooves you to hire the best art handlers for the job at hand.

But with so many options out there, where do you start? You could ask friends or family, but that limits you to their experiences, and their concerns and yours may differ wildly. Moving a replica is not the same as the real deal, and large, oblong, or heavy artifacts are much more difficult to safely transport than smaller pieces that can be neatly packed into a small box.

Here are some things to consider as you choose an art handler:

1. Are they prepared?

Experienced art handlers know that all art requires special boxes that are designed specifically for transporting art — and are often made specifically for each piece. Whether it’s a large canvas or statue, weight, dimensions, and material all play a huge role in art transportation, and experienced art handlers will be ready with these questions before they ever step foot in your door. Take it from us — transporting art isn’t something you can figure out on the fly, so if you’re not asked the proper questions about your art upfront, odds are they won’t be showing up prepared.

2. What kind of storage do they have?

Most fine art shippers know that before an important piece is moved or sold, it may need to go into storage for a short or extended period of time. Even if it’s moving from one residence or gallery to the next, delivery could be days away, and storing priceless art in the back of a truck or a makeshift storage area for any amount of time is a big no-no. Furthermore, as most art is significantly more fragile than what is typically shipped across the country or around the world, you’ll want to ensure that your art handler is able to properly store your art, no matter how long it’s in their care. With adequate temperature controls and safety protocols, which may include 24/7 security or other precautions, you’ll know that your piece is safe and away from the dangerous effects that can damage or destroy it. From fire and water to high or low humidity, as well as errant handling or unauthorized access, there are countless ways your art can be compromised while in transport or storage.

3. Do they itemize and account for everything?

Unlike traditional movers that toss everything into the back of a truck and simply unload it at its destination, a competent art handler will document and itemize each piece that is going into their custody and can provide you with a comprehensive list of all your goods, including dates, valuations, photographs and documentation of any preexisting damage or other important information. While it might look like it’s all for you, and in some ways it is, all the documentation and paperwork is there to ensure a proper chain of custody for you and your goods, and it’ll enable you to know exactly what has transpired between pick-up and drop-off.

From your friends at AirSea

Here at AirSea Packing Group, we’ve helped individuals, organizations, and entities safely ship and store countless pieces of art under our three pillars of care, handling, and expertise. As a global leader in white-glove shipping, storage, and logistics, we’ve been passing down our knowledge for over five decades, all so you can be sure that you’ll get the best that we have to offer. With offices in Atlanta, London, Paris, New York, Miami, Dallas, Washington D.C., Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, we’re here and present wherever your art needs to go, whether it’s across the state, the country, or even around the world.

Contact us today to request a quote for your fine art shipping needs.