Carole Choucair Oueijan, Layaleena, 48 x 72, smalti, 24 karat gold smalti, granite, marble, onyx, crystallino, mother of pearl, fresh-water pearl, hematite, coral, jade, quartz

I always crate artworks from the inside-out; at least in my bean, in the design stage. But the actual building can vary. Sometimes it can proceed in any order, and sometimes the crate must be built before the art is approached. It depends on whether the artwork is packaged in soft materials separate from the crate, or whether it must be built directly into the crate with a cushioned wood structure. When it’s the former, I occasionally prefer to pack the art before the crate is started. This is hardly necessary, but it can save a little desk time when dealing with a number of irregular shapes that aren’t so irregular that they require much planning ahead.

This was one of those jobs that fell into that little gray area. It just made more sense to figure out how large the package would be by packing it. The piece was composed of twenty-odd irregular sections of mosaic of variable thickness. It would happily ride flat in a stack of foam-welled trays. With such a simple packing approach, it was more efficient to sort the elements by relative size and shape in “real time,” as it was being loaded onto trays. I started with a rough guideline of 36″ x 24″ trays, and from that starting point my crater found that he could fit all elements onto 13 trays at 32″ x 24″. I’m starting to make it sound more complicated than it was. Before I knew it, the trays were packed and I had a nice boxy package to measure for the crate.

Our thanks to Carole Choucair Oueijan for her permission to include images of her artwork. Layaleena, an Arabic/Lebanese word for “Splendor Nights”, is a commission piece installed in a home in Greece. In this scene the goal was to reflect the magnificence of the Lebanese nights and lifestyle of the past. Layaleena is made out of 21 pieces and took 10 months to complete.

-Chris

 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

“Impressionism“, a new play on Broadway starring Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen, is a grand evening in the theater for fans of good acting. The play could itself use some work. And the art handling, is, well, amateur at best. Not that anyone would notice but a pro. Still, if you (attention playwright and director) are going to include a scene that has a supposedly high value artwork packed into a crate onstage by a supposedly professional art handling company, well, it should be done correctly.

In this case the art handlers wheel in an upright crate, take the painting off the wall (wearing gloves, thankfully), put it into a fabric bag (?) and then lower the painting-in-bag down into the crate through the open top, so that the painting disappears like your hard earned money down the slot in Vegas. Snap the top closed, get a signature, and off they go.

Problems? Well, they didn’t  inspect the painting before handing it, but that is a fine point. Unless there is a scratch on it and you are the insurer…The fabric bag is absolutely non standard, never seen one used like this ever. Fabric can catch on or stick to the face of a painting and deposit lint or other debris. Even if there is plexi over the face of a work, the fabric bag is still a bad choice as it is slippery and thus difficult to hold onto, and it can snag or tear on its journey into the crate.

Speaking of which, and this is the major point, artworks are not lowered into crates this way, for good reason: you can’t see what is happening to the piece! There could be loose materials or something shifted in the crate which would damage the artwork. A screw may have pushed through in transit or come loose in the crate. In most cases prepared crates are either laid flat or stood up, the front is removed, the crate inspected and made ready, the painting carefully fitted in under watchful eyes, and when all is safely braced the front of the crate is put on and off you go.

A somewhat more minor quibble, but in another scene Mr. Irons assists a purchaser, again of a major painting  ( $40,000) out to her offstage car with the artwork. No wrapping, she’s just going to presumably, what, toss it into the back of her SUV?

I am sure these faults will be corrected as legions of concerned art handlers line up outside the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater (236 West 45th Street, NY 10036) in protest. In the meantime I am available anytime Mr. Irons would like a private consultation.

 Betsy Dorfman

TIPS for obtaining an accurate quote for crating artworks:

We have mentioned previously the wisdom of providing the third dimension (the depth) for each two-dimensional artwork to be handled. But equally important is the issue of accurate dimensions. Having correct sizes is critical to crate pricing, and even moreso if crates are to be prebuilt in advance of actually receiving the artworks.

Very often we are provided with dimensions that are ten inches or more off the mark. You artists know who you are… Whether too high or too low, an estimate based on bad information is of little use to either the customer or the vendor. If the “wrong” dimensions are supplied for multiple works, as in a traveling exhibition, then the mistake just compounds and we all might as well just go out for a beer. After work, of course.

Some estimate requestors likely honestly believe that “close” is good enough or that a matter of inches one way or another won’t have a serious impact on pricing. But the truth is that when we design a crate we round up to the nearest 1/8″ inch in most cases. Or for an estimate, perhaps up to the nearest inch. But leeway of several inches? Never. The whole idea of a shipping crate for an artwork is to be custom built to the size of the work. And, believe it or not, too large is just as bad as too small.

When providing dimensions to an art handler the best approach is to supply each dimension labeled as to its correct orientation. For example: L 50 x W 3 x H 80. So if the artwork in question is a photograph that must travel right-side-up, the crating department will know how it must be crated, and any potential shipping issues due to height will be anticipated before it is time to ship the artwork. Send a photo of the work as well where possible, and of course indicate any condition issues that might require a custom or enhanced crating solution.

Guessing at the order of dimensions can be tricky. Many art shippers use art-world configuration of Height x Length x Width. But here at FAS we use the standard shipping configuration of Length x Width x Height in most of our notations, and we always indicate orientation with the letter designations to avoid confusion.

So give accurate dimensions, indicate the correct orientation, and provide as much information as possible about the artworks to be shipped. You will obtain an accurate estimate, and faster, too, as we won’t have to track you down to get more information.

Finally, if you are guessing at dimensions, confess! That way we may be able to offer you a couple of “what if” quotes and there will be less angst all around when that x- plus- ten -incher comes in the door.

Chris Barber & Betsy Dorfman

A well known science research institute selected this dramatic cover artwork for a recent special journal report on China. The sedate and aesthetic rendering of classical chinese characters perfectly set the tone desired by the prestigious Max Planck Institute. Except that, unfortunately, the researchers forgot to do their, well, research. As in, hiring a translator. Turns out this was not a poem or artistic composition but an advertisement.

Which is how the latest edition of this well regarded a scientific journal was published with a cover extolling the services of stripping housewives in a brothel! The poetic looking artwork was in fact a flyer offering “hot houswives in action”, put out (pun intended) by a Macau strip club. Follow the link below for further details.

Leaving aside what your artwork “means,” you now have to be concerned with what it says, especially with so much modern art incorporating symbols, words, icons, and elements from disparate cultures. It probably won’t be long before art services companies such as ourselves offer translation and “embarrassment risk management” services together with our usual roster of packing, crating, storage and shipping services.

Betsy Dorfman

Click here for the full article from The Independent.

Just recently a $300,000 sculpture by artist Carole Feuerman was destroyed enroute to Art Miami.

Here is a link to the complete article with further details:

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/southflorida/story/794402

Needless to say a situation like this is what every art shipper and art handling company works every day to avoid. Worse, there are potential problems collecting from insurers as the timing of the damage is unclear and the basic policy held by the artist apparently does not cover the full value of the artwork under all circumstances. Unfortunately these are critical but all too common mistakes. And while there is never a guarantee that artwork in transit will arrive safely, there are steps that can be taken both to minimize risk and to maximize the likelihood of recovery in the event of a loss.

This article raises many issues and in the next several posts we will examine a few of them, starting today with chain of custody and inspection protocols.

EVIDENT VS CONCEALED DAMAGE

In many cases when artworks are damaged in transit the cause of the damage is clear and matches up to corresponding damage seen on the exterior of boxes or crates. Boxes arrive with a corner crushed or with punctures, crates show evidence of forklift tine intrusion, seams or tops have popped, wood feet have come off etc. These are basic signs of possible mishandling enroute. These “exceptions” are noted on the carrier’s paperwork on arrival, and the damage is assumed henceforth to have occurred in the custody of that carrier who last received the packages in good condition. This is similar to the chain of custody used in police and forensic work. Once received the compromised package is then unpacked in a documented process with photos taken and witnesses at hand; if there is actual damage then to the artwork within, the insurer of record is contacted and the claims process begins. Sad, but at least there is financial recovery possible through insurance.

CONCEALED DAMAGE WAIVER

In the case of the Feuerman sculpture however, there appears to have been no obvious damage to the exterior of the crate. Upon opening the crate however the sculpture was found to be destroyed beyond repair. In shipping terms this situation is called “concealed damage”. Many types of insurance carry a disclaimer or waiver for concealed damage where the goods have been packed by the shipper and are uninspected by the carrier or insuring agent. If the airline had provided insurance, it likely carried such a waiver and so would not respond to a claim under these circumstances. This makes sense, logically, as they would have no way of knowing what was in the crate or its condition prior to taking custody. Big gray area there.

CHAIN OF INSPECTED CUSTODY

While there was a clear chain of custody for handling of the crate, there was no inspection of the artwork itself each time the crate changed hands. The crate apparently left custody of an overseas art handler, was shipped via air freight, handled at Newark airport, then trucked all the way to a receiving warehouse in Miami where it was put away until inspection at a later date by the art handler who was to deliver it to the exhibition. Hence a mammoth gray area i.e. when and where did the damage occur? And who is liable under these conditions?

YOU BROKE IT, YOU PAY, RIGHT? WRONG.

In shipping liability comes down to insurance and specifically, declared value. It doesn’t matter if the airline broke the sculpture if they did not insure it. They are responsible only for what is essentially salvage value unless insurance was purchased and a value declared. In fact most airlines and other freight companies do not insure original fine art. They are protected in their paperwork, signed at the time of shipping, from liability for damage caused in transit where they have not insured the goods. There are always nuances in insurance, and it is true that such an airline might have liability if they can be shown guilty of extreme negligence. If, for example. they left the crate at the wrong address or at a closed dock, or left it out in the rain. But so long as they performed the contracted service i.e. moved the crate from point A to point B according to the terms established with the booking party, they generally have limited liability. Hey, these are freight guys; they are paid to move freight and they moved the freight. Whadda ya want?

IN TRANSIT VS STATIONARY — not as simple as it sounds.

Next in line is the artist’s own policy, which states she can collect $100,000 maximum in transit and $400,000 maximum if the artwork was “stationary.” Oh boy, the attorneys are going to have fun with this one. Stationary usually means in storage, not being moved, in a stable and protected environment. Technically a shipment that has arrived at a warehouse along the way, but which has not yet been delivered to its final destination, is considered IN TRANSIT. Even if it isn’t being moved for a period of time. Under our fine arts all risk policy, in transit status can exist for up to 90 days. Gray area anyone?

Could this situation have been avoided? We’ll take a look at some possible remedies in a future post. In the meantime our sympathies to everyone involved; it is always awful to lose an artwork, period

Betsy Dorfman / FINE ART SHIPPING

Most fine art shippers, including ourselves, receive a variety of estimate requests each day from both “civilian” and “industry” clients or potential clients. Often these requests contain details as to artist, title, origin and destination, dates requested, medium, height, and length. Most often missing? The third dimension i.e. the depth. This is so common that we have considered producing T-shirts reading WHAT’S THE THIRD DIMENSION?! If you are interested in receiving one of these, as yet, non existent shirts, let us know. No extra charge for existential overtones.

Upon being asked some requesters seem surprised that the depth would matter. As if, having gone to the bother of telling us that the medium is fossilized possum teeth and pop rocks embedded in resin, how could the depth possibly be of interest? But typically in the end they indulge us and come up with something, oh all right, if you must know…. I have often wondered why this lapse is so frequent, as it seems so logical that artworks, being things, have three dimensions and take up three dimensions in what we like to call real life.

With paintings in particular however, this dimension seems to disappear from the interest radar. Perhaps it is because the depth, measurement back to front, can and does vary with the framing. But that is equally true of the length and height, to some extent. I think the answer more likely is that trained and museum personnel most often think in terms of image size rather than framed size. (Another question every fine art shipper needs to remember to ask!) Image size is their gold standard and depth is not considered. And this omission can and does persist when inventories are passed on for shipping quotes.

Also the depth is generally the smallest dimension of the three and so can seem insignificant. Emphasis on the “seem.” As shippers, we live and occasionally die by volume. Back in my rookie season I worked up a detailed estimate for a multi crate traveling exhibition of sixty or so artworks. Licking my pencil (metaphorically) and conquering my English major’s fear of spatial relations testing of any kind, I grouped the paintings by size, figured my crate dims and was good to go. Except, I failed to ask re image size versus framed size and, worse , I let the customer get away with giving me an “average depth” of 3 inches per artwork. Long story short, the artworks were framed in the most enormous heavy and ornate gilt frames I have ever seen. These babies each needed their own zip code. Every one was 6-8″ inches overall larger than I had estimated including back to front. The real killer, the budget buster, the oh-my-god-you-have-got-to -be-kidding-me element was the depth.

Things I took away from this experience:

• It helps to own the company, because you can’t be fired
• You can’t be fired, but you can be forced to ‘eat’ unusable crates. (No they never come in handy for something else. But we will get to that in another post)
• Average depth is defined as 5″ more than you could possibly imagine
• Customers are very nice except when ten crates turn into twenty
• Fear of spatial relations testing (which of these two hellish objects fits inside this other completely useless diagram) is a reliable predictor of intelligence
• Image size is for politicians, not art shippers
• All correspondence with estimate requesters should begin with “what is the third dimension” and end with “so help you god.”

Betsy Dorfman / Fine Art Shipping