As a fine art storage facility, we do on occasion become involved in holding art assets on a fiduciary basis for estates or attorneys while various legal entanglements are sorted out. In other words, while people fight over who gets what. The recent court action filed by Victoria Duffy to forestall auction of specified artworks from the estate of her late husband Dennis Hopper is unfortunately typical of the process.

 On more than one occasion we have been asked to remove artworks from a residence in a hurry – on a weekend or late at night – by one spouse or another. Where this was recognizable as a questionable tactic or even admitted as an attempt to shield assets from a pending divorce action, we have declined to become involved. But often we have no idea who the legal owner of items might be. If someone engages us to move artworks to storage or to a third party location we will do so. Galleries often store paintings which they don’t own, and traveling exhibitions consisting of many loaned works are also routinely stored and transported between venues. In these circumstances it is the depositor of the goods who has the right of access to them – at least until proven otherwise.

Record keeping is generally the crux of the disposition matter. For serious collectors as well as the more amateur variety, being able to demonstrate the provenance of an artwork – who acquired it when, and from who, in what order – often settles the issue of legal title. If an artwork is stored by someone who is proven not to have legal title, it can be returned to the rightful owner. As the result of a proper legal action, and once the bills are paid, of course.

Companies like ours keep accurate records, and keep them long term, showing where artworks have been picked up, stored, and delivered. We do this for tax reasons, but such records are also useful to demonstrate chain of custody. Unlike self storage where there is no record of what is stored, we keep itemized inventories of everything on hand, dates in and dates out, and to whom items were released or delivered. If you are trying to hide assets, you’ll probably want to set up a nice web of cardboard holding companies before you call us. On the other hand if you’re looking to have careful inventory documentation, confidentiality, and assurance that proper procedures for access and information control are in place, then a fine art storage provider is your best bet. We’ve got your back. At least until the lawyers get to work.

Betsy Dorfman

Ian Patrick, crating manager

The FBI has just launched a new searchable database which lists both images and details of stolen artworks. The National Stolen Art File (NSAF) is a free online tool allowing both the public, law enforcement, and institutions to aid in the identification and recovery of stolen works.  Oh and, yes, art shippers too.

Any item stolen in the U.S. and valued at $2000 or over can be listed. The goal, in addition to recovery, is to provide a forum that will help keep “hot” items off the market in the first place. Collectors and galleries can and should search here if any red flags are raised in the course of their due diligence before acquiring or representing works. The listings cover a variety of works including paintings, sculpture, stamps, pottery, tapestries, books and other cultural heritage artifacts.

The database currently has a library of some 7000 images, and items can be searched by keyword and category, as well as by artist, title, and date range. The FBI website also features stories of both solved and unsolved art thefts — pretty interesting reading from an unlikely source of, albeit cautionary,  entertainment.

Weve had only one encounter over the years with law enforcement seeking information on a possibly forged painting we shipped for a client. Such cases can take years to unfold and prosecute; just discovering the  principal parties to a transaction can be tricky where layers of contacts are deliberately put in place to conceal buyer and/or seller identities. Such concealment isn’t always nefarious — galleries and dealers sometimes have quite Byzantine arrangements involving loans and multipart ownership of pieces which may not be made transparent to the buyer. And which, so long as the artwork and provenance are genuine, will not be made famous online by the FBI.

It remains to be seen if the Internet will prove useful in curbing at least some of the trafficking in stolen art, which the FBI acknowledges to be an age old problem. Time to turn in that Monet you found in the dumpster — everyone is going to recognize it now.

Betsy Dorfman

Speaking of storage issues:

 Needless to say this is now our previously favorite fish market.

And a good idea, too, loading up on that barbecue sauce.

Photo courtesy of Ron Dorfman

In addition to describing how some of us feel after a long work week, “antique condition” is a phrase which art and antique handlers use, in my opinion, too frequently. The term comes into play when an item is being picked up and notes made as to its existing condition. In this context “antique condition” is designed to cover a multitude of sins, and save the handler the bother of noting down every scratch, ding, smudge and coffee ring. Hey, the thing has been around the block for fifty years, we can all see that, right? That’s why they call it an antique! Basically a more refined way of saying “used”, this remains however a shortcut that opens the door to problems down the line.

In conjunction with record photography of the piece, noting “antique condition” and leaving it at that, admittedly, does the job much of the time. Despite my managerial grumbling. But not always. Every once in awhile a situation arises where a client will see what they believe is fresh damage, or a compromised area which they maintain has appeared since the piece was last seen  in the showroom or vendor’s shop. So out come the condition notes and photos. The photos may or may not show the exception in question, depending upon the type of mark or loss, and its location. If it then comes down to the handler’s notes made at pickup, and all we have is “antique condition” – basically we have come to a dead end in our ability to firmly establish the problem as preexisting or not. If insured through the art handler, a claim could go either way – but the whole idea of condition reports and notes is to establish condition and avoid gray areas and claims.

Digital photography has helped with this issue, to be sure, and many exceptions do show up in a set of carefully taken photos. But written reports, together with diagrams where precise locations of exceptions are shown, remain the gold standard. Nothing replaces good old descriptive language, and a clear statement of what type of problem is seen – scratch, stain, paint loss, tear in fabric, etc.- together with a note as to its location. These notes are, as attorneys like to say, dispositive ; in the event of a claim they will likely dispose of any question and settle the matter.

Condition notes, prepared by professionals, are meant to be detailed and focused in their findings. You wouldn’t want to see “antique condition” in your medical chart; you shouldn’t see it on a bill of lading, for the same reason –just plain not enough information.

Betsy Dorfman

Move over Wal-Mart
Fine Art Shipping began working to develop an affordable Rfid asset tracking system back in 2009. Having looked around and found nothing “off the shelf” that was within reach of our essentially small business, we decided to build our own, hiring a programmer and integrating this new software with existing hardware and available labeling. It’s no surprise that Rfids are making their way into art handling in 2010 — the technology is a natural fit for use where valuable commodities need to be accurately accounted for on a daily basis.

Seeing is believing
Like a barcode, the Rfid is a machine readable tag that, in concert with a database, identifies a specific object. Unlike a barcode, the Rfid reader does not require direct line of sight to the label or tag. The transponder tag emits a radio signal that is picked up by the reader and instantly identifies the item as present or “seen.” The beauty of this is that multiple items within a crate, bin, or on a shelf, or even in a truck, can be scanned at once, without moving them around to expose the tag. There are some limitations — metal may block the transmission, and there are limits to the “reach” of the signal –but for the majority of daily inventory tasks an art handler performs the system is ideal.

What, where, how
In a working warehouse knowing what is where and finding it quickly is critical. Every art handler has experienced the frustration of counting and recounting inventories, and unpacking packed crates to re-verify contents, not to mention the “all hands on deck” call to find an item temporarily mislaid. Eliminating this wasted time and effort directly feeds the bottom line. Items coming or going from storage can be scanned in using either a handheld device or put through a “portal” which reads the tags as the artworks are carried by. Because the tags are discrete, there is no confusing one Hockney or similar size with another, or transposing an inventory number when a an art handler is reading from paper labels. And no physical moving of objects to read paper labels on the far side or uncover a barcode. The system will also question any duplicates and, if an expected inventory is uploaded into the system ahead of the shipment’s arrival, will compare what is actually received to what was expected and display any extra or missing items.

Is that crate really empty?
Was any art left in the truck?
How many pieces are in that bin?
Did we deliver at stop 2 everything we picked up at stop 1, as requested?
Did we “pull” all 83 items accurately from the client’s storage?
What’s the package count for this shipment?

These are the types of everyday issues that the Rfid system addresses, and solves.

Where’s my stuff?
The other major benefit is the inventory management system it enables: we call ours SMI (storage maintenance inventory) for short. Using portable computers in the warehouse and in the field, each RFID tag is read and then related information identifying that item – artist, title, art dims, package dims, client name, job number, date in or out, warehouse location, and, yes even photos — is keyed into the database and saved. The database is accessible from any computer, which means our customer service reps and our warehouse crew can access inventories instantly to answer questions, locate items, or process delivery requests.

Show me the money
Billing is also streamlined, as SMI shows volume on hand in real time and does all the computing of cubic and square feet occupied by any inventory. It can further compute the storage charges for a given month, assuming a rate per CF or SF is entered for that client. The time saved by this application alone would likely pay for the system. Storage is the backbone of most art handling operations; having the billing done quickly and accurately is money in the bank.

Send in the clouds
Storing the SMI system data “in the clouds”, i.e. on a third party maintained internet-based bulk server, offers striking cost and efficiency benefits. First and foremost, we access our data in real time from virtually any computer anywhere, with security, backup solutions, and privacy issues all managed by the host. Information entered into a remote computer on a jobsite or secondary warehouse can be seen virtually in real time back at the office by a manager or client representative who can provide feedback as needed. And soon we’ll be offering clients the ability to log in under a private ID and view their storage or exhibition inventories online at their convenience.

And the future goes to….
Building and managing inventories using barcodes was a major advance over paper only labeling and manual input inventory systems. Rfid technology builds on that model and is a tested technology. Aside from use by major “big box” retailers, Rfids are already implanted in numerous products and medical devices. The basic technology is poised to take off with prices sure to drop for equipment and supplies as usage increases. Always a technology leader, FINE ART SHIPPING is pleased to offer the benefits of Rfid inventory management to our clients, not because it is the latest thing, but because it is the latest, and now affordable, best thing.

Betsy Dorfman

Recent news reports have detailed the upcoming sale of artworks from the Michael Crichton collection, currently on display at Christie’s in London. The paintings to be sold include a seminal work from the Jasper Johns “Flag” series, as well as works by Picasso, Lichtenstein and Rauschenberg . Old friends all.

FINE ART SHIPPING has moved, installed, shipped and stored many of these works over the past decade-plus for the Crichton family. Packing and crating these recent few to send off for display in London was an exercise in nostalgia to be sure. We have softpacked the Johns for Mr. Crichton to carry on an airplane, installed it at residences in New York and Los Angeles, and each time we handled it was a thrill. The office emptied out, art handlers mysteriously appeared as the crate was about to be opened — there are artworks which claim their own audiences, and this is one.

On September 11, 2001 our Los Angeles based crew was packing art at the Crichton residence in upstate New York, some 90 miles from ground zero. We were immediately invited to stay in the home for several days, allowing us to give our hotel rooms to our NY based crew, who were unable in those early days and hours to return to the city. So this goes beyond a business relationship, to what has been a partnership of care and concern for this art over many years and circumstances.
Following the current exhibition at Christie’s the artworks go on sale in New York in May. To the new owners we can only say: may the vibes, all good, be with you.

Betsy Dorfman

Like many small businesses, especially in these times, our margins are tight and it is difficult to make cash contributions to charities and other worthy cultural organizations. Happily, however, we are in a line of work – moving & storage — which enables us to provide in kind services to organizations at reduced rates or at no charge from time to time.

Since 2006, for example, FINE ART SHIPPING has supplied storage services at no cost for the Los Angeles Ballet. In addition to a prominent thank you in their programs, they have provided us with complimentary tickets, allowing many of our staff and their friends and families to experience the ballet and become fans. Talk about a “win-win”!

A bit closer to home, my daughter works for one of the Paul Newman charities, a camp called The Painted Turtle which serves children with serious diseases on a year round basis and at no cost to participating families. These are kids who otherwise would not be able to attend camp due to the nature of their illnesses. The Painted Turtle operates out of offices in Santa Monica, and maintains the camp in Lake Hughes CA., roughly 90 minutes northwest of Los Angeles. It is one of a network of affiliated camps around the world offering hope and fun to kids whose “out of camp” lives often consist of one medical challenge after another.

When one of our storage customers retired an array of costumes, wigs, hats, props & even a couple of fog machines from their inventory, we were able to donate these to The Painted Turtle and deliver them up to the camp in our truck at no charge. They were apparently used immediately in skits and sketches and were a great hit with kids and staff alike. Smiles all around! The website of The Painted Turtle shows a list of items the camp needs on a regular basis. Anyone wishing to make a donation can drop items off here at our facility near LAX airport and we will see that they get to the camp. (Please call first!)

On other occasions we are able to contribute to organizations by discounting costs on transport services.  Most recently we completed a shipment for Doctors Without Borders at a rate well below market value, essentially converting what would have been our normal markup into a contribution instead. This is a great way for small businesses to donate as it conserves cash but gives real value to the organization in question.

 Betsy Dorfman

BEST BUY stores recently retracted an errant ad offering big screen TV’s for $9.99. Hey, stuff happens.  And so, with apologies for any inconvenience, we take this opportunity to issue a few clarifications of our own:

FINE ART SHIPPING is not offering for $500 or best offer “your choice of any stored artwork belonging to someone who has not paid their bill.” This offer was posted in error on a now deleted blog. We are sorry for any confusion.

Nor are we prepared to “tie any such painting or artwork onto the top of your car for transport at no cost, provided you haul it away same day.” This was printed in error as well.

FINE ART SHIPPING assumes no responsibility for artworks tied or bungeed to the tops of vehicles, nor will we lend you any rope or string for that purpose. It has always been our policy that high value artwork should be transported inside vehicles wherever possible.

In addition FINE ART SHIPPING is not offering an alliterative “painting-plus-pet” discounted storage option. Somehow this language slipped into a recent email marketing campaign by way of a search and replace glitch. We do store paintings; we do not store pets. Whoever dropped off the Baldessari and the beagle,  the Georganne Deen and the gecko, and especially the Thiebaud and the tarantula, please be advised that the pet portion of your storage account will be available for pickup behind our warehouse weekdays between noon and 4 PM. We will return any unused puppy, reptile, or spider chow at that time.

Thank you.

Retractions & Clarifications, 29^th floor

 Rule 1 : The condition of an artwork is never “good.” … Or you should at least approach an inspection in this frame of mind. Keep looking until you find the exceptions. An “exception” is just an instance of possible or apparent damage – any imperfection worth noting. 999 times out of 1000 they are there to be found.

 Sample condition report format:

Rule 2:  Report what you see. The most important quality of a condition report – and what allows it to function at all – is clarity. Photography, drawings and verbal description should be employed effectively to document any exceptions that you find. Identify the exception, locate it on the artwork and indicate its scope. Strive for short and precise notes, and limit your use of relative terms; such as bad, small, severe, etc. The standard industry jargon should help you sidestep generalities and lengthy descriptions to address specific conditions concisely.

There are numerous guides and sample condition reports only a web search away. You can reference several of them for guidance in formatting your own report, and gathering inspection tools such as special lighting and magnifying lenses. That being the case,  I’ll limit the following to a short glossary of exceptions.

These are the most common bogeymen of art objects:

Abrasion – a type of erosion often caused by the friction of rubbing or scraping the surface.

Accretion – the accumulation of foreign material on the surface, not always dirt.

Blanching – a milky stippling in a painted surface, often caused tiny faults puncturing the surface.

Bleeding – a post-production migration of pigment, often caused by exposure to water.

Bloom – a milky area where the clarity of the paint or varnish has been compromised, but more superficial damage than Blanching.

Blush – like Bloom, but in lacquer.

Check – a gap along the grain of a piece of wood, smaller than a Split.

Chip – a Dent that involves a broken piece of material.

Cleavage – a type of Crackle involving the separation of a material’s strata.

Cockling – a set of small parallel waves in a sheet of paper, in which the surface is not creased.

Corrosion – a chemical reaction between a surface and a foreign agent, accompanied by a slow process of Loss.

Crack – a linear or planar fault in a surface or a form that does not involve Loss.

Crackle – an area of perpendicular cracks that does not involve Cleavage.

Craquelure – a fine network of Crackle often caused by a material’s reaction to climate changes.

Crevice – a narrow but deep type of Crackle

Dent -  a concave distortion in the surface that does not include Loss.

Dig – a Dent that includes Loss or Displacement.

Discoloration – any change in color.

Dishing (aka Draw) - a distortion in the canvas of a painting caused by unequal tension around the stretcher.

Disjoin – a separation of elements or portions of an object, in which the separation can be complete or incomplete.

Dust- self-explanatory

Embrittlement- self-explanatory, a loss of plasticity in the object, often caused by exposure to heat.

Erosion- a loss of material, usually due to Abrasion or Embrittlement.

Fading – this type of Discoloration is the loss of saturation or value.

Fingerprint- self-explanatory; Grime in the form of a specific kind of Smear.

Foxing – the Corrosion of a paper element, often caused by mold or iron rusting within the pulp.

Gouge – a Dig where material has been lost in a scooping action.

Grime – dust sticking to the surface with a oily medium.

Lacuna (aka Loss) – a specific depression where a portion of the surface material is missing, such as a painting’s varnish.

Rift – a wide but shallow type of Crackle.

Run – a dried rivulet of a foreign liquid.

Smear – a specific instance of grime, such as a fingerprint or other contact with surface.

Spatter – a type of dried splash from a foreign liquid.

Split – a Check in wood grain that runs the entire length of that element.

Stain – this type of Discoloration usually involves both Fading and a darkening of the surface.

Stretcher Crease – a literal crease or line of fine cracks along an edge of a painting’s stretcher.

Tear- self-explanatory, usually applied to cloth or paper.

Chris Barber