Q & A

518-822-7244 ATHENS FINE ART SERVICES SERVING THE HUDSON VALLEY AND REGION

Questions That Come Our Way

BASE QUESTIONS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

I’m an artist, I’m moving a piece from my studio in New Paltz to a client who purchased the piece in New York City?

What kind of medium?

What type of surface is the painting? Is it impasto?

Is the piece framed or unframed?

What’s your budget range?

Is it a flat work?

Is it packed?

Will the piece require a condition report?

Is the piece 2D or 3D?

Does the piece require installation upon arrival?

Does the building require a COI?

Are there stairs or a service elevator for the building in NYC?

PHILADELPHIA ARTIST

I’m an artist and I have a huge show coming up in Philadelphia this month. The pieces are screenprints on paper with pigment loosely affixed to the surface. Can you pack and move these with a tight deadline?

For works such as this, we would recommend packing them in flat ride foam core boxes.

We could then stack them into a crate depending on how many pieces you have. We would make sure the crate has ample shock absorption, and we can propose various install solutions including butterfly clips or even insect pins.

We could look at different types of packing methods to accommodate various budgetary and timing constraints.

ARCHIVING LARGE COLLECTION

I have some drawings on paper that have been in my storage facility for thirty years and have never been touched. What kind of packing methods would you offer and recommend?

Being able to identify any vulnerability with the pieces and how to equip ourselves for transport of the pieces. Precious damage such as water damage, exposure to heat, humidity and UV light can quickly deteriorate and have harmful affects on your pieces.

We would need to do a site visit to assess the status of the pieces.

Often paper that has been stored improperly for period of time could have deteriorating that is not visible to the trained eye. If the pieces were stored flat, rolled, in sleeves,

We work with a variety of conservators that we could recommend if necessary. If conservation is not in your budget, we could recommend various packing methods.

We would want to keep the pieces flat and carry

We could offer the appropriate storage with flat files or foam core trays.

These would have a low acidic backing material to provide structure while handling.

CERAMICS TO EUROPE

I’m sending a terra cotta figure to an auction house in Europe.

We could accommodate we could wrap in dartek or tyvek depending on the glazed surface.

From there, we could we do a full grey ethafoam cavity. We would pack that into an inner box which would then go into a full crate. All of our crates are fully TSA compliant and meet international shipping standards.

Where is the piece going? We can reach out to a number of third-[arty art shipping companies who specialize in international transport.

Depending on how quickly your piece needs to get to the auction house we could arrange air or shipping container for sea transport.

HUDSON VALLEY TO LOS ANGELES

I am an artist that was commissioned to make a neon piece for a movie. It needs to travel L.A. can you help?

Would you like us to do an external inspection?

Is the neon mounted onto a plexy backing? Does it have a structural frame?

We would recommend a full foam cavity pack.

We would recommend conducting a condition report on the piece for liability purposes to ensure it arrives to the studio.

TRANSPORTING A WET PAINTING

How would you pack a painting that has a raised (or impasto) surface for transport from the Hudson Valley to NYC? What if the painting is still wet?

We would recommend packing the work in a shadowbox. A shadowbox is a special type of packing that prevents anything from touching the surface of the piece, so even if there is raised surface or the piece is wet, we can keep the work safe for transport without anything coming in contact with the surface. We recommend double-cardboard as it’s more sturdy than the single wall variety. If the edges of the canvas are part of the piece (and still wet) we could design a “floating” shadowbox, where we would drill into the back of the stretcher bars and leave a few inch gap around the edges of the canvas.

FRAGILE FRAME

I’m a collector and I have a high value Renaissance painting with an ornate filigree frame. What’s the best way to transport this piece?

We would recommend packing a framed work like this into a travel frame (sometimes referred to as a T-frame). With a travel frame, the piece is suspended by four Oz-clips so as to ensure nothing touches the edges or the surface while in transit. With an ornate frame, one would not be able to pack the piece with a simple pressure fit, which is why we would suggest the Oz-clip method.

LARGE SCULPTURE

I work for a corporation on Wall Street, and we have a large Corten Steel sculpture that we need moved to our new corporate headquarters. It’s obviously very heavy, and we need it removed and transported, is this something you can accommodate?

We can! We may require assistance with a contractor or groundskeeper to remove the sculpture from any base, but once it’s been cleared, we could rig the sculpture onto a crate platform using our crane truck. This crate platform would allow the piece to be movable with a pallet jack or forklift. Our fleet is equipped with trucks that have lift gates and air-ride suspension that would provide safe transport for this sculpture.