When you need to move art, you want it to be safe and protected the whole way, from point A to point B. It doesn’t matter if it’s a large canvas or if it’s one of the tiniest pieces of art you’ve ever created.

For whatever reason – moving houses, creating commissions, or at auction – you will need a service to help you transport your artwork. You can choose to pack up and transport art pieces yourself but if you’re not able to be the courier, you may employ a fine art shipping company. The services of specialised transporters may be more necessary. Especially when shipping larger pieces like sculptures or other outdoor work.

However, it’s important to choose the method that’s best for your art collection. Here’s a few things you should keep in mind when choosing an art courier.

Choosing the Right Courier

Choosing a courier can be a really thought-out process for most individuals transporting art. You want to make sure that whoever is handling the piece(s) is being gentle and taking the utmost care to not damage the art in any way. Therefore, it’s important to research properly.

Experience

For museums and galleries, for example, packing a Van Gogh piece requires a lot more finesse than transporting regular furniture. Of course, you don’t want either one to be damaged, but one is more fragile than the other. One requires more delicacy and gentile than the other.

For pieces like these, specialist art movers are heavily recommended to deliver goods. At Aardvark, all of our vans are security tracked and unmarked, making transportation more secure and protected. Plus, our art movers know how priceless these pieces can be so they are always extremely careful and respectful of the art.

Insurance

Standard policies insure transport that covers a specific sum of money but in the art world, this sum of money can actually be very little. So if you are trying to transport multiple pieces or an extremely valuable piece, you should probably opt for some premium service.

If you need help organising insurance cover, you can get in touch with our team here at Aardvark Art Services. We have Goods in Transit cover, subject to the Road Haulage Association terms and conditions 1998. But, you should have your artistic pieces insured before handing them over to the transportation company. That’s something we recommend (and we have over 20 years of experience in transporting fine art).

Transportation Preparation

Transporting fine art requires preparation. It can’t just be placed in a van and then moved – there needs to be some level of protection there. Hiring a complete service will cost you more but at the end of the day, peace of mind is invaluable.

Better to know that your artwork is well protected and professionally packed up before it’s being transported. Did you know that at Aardvark, we will expertly package your items for you?

Of course, you are welcome to package your own pieces beforehand. But for a supplementary charge, we will package the artwork for you. The team at Aardvark Art Services will soft wrap your pieces to ensure no damage is caused during transit.

Should you wish for your pieces to be safely secured in a professionally secure, custom-built storage facility, we also offer those.

Couriers in the UK

You are probably able to ship with a local postal service but you should check how they classify artwork and restrictions on certain pieces.

In the United Kingdom, Royal Mail, Parcelforce, and Hermes all ship artworks.

It is important to note, though, that Hermes class framed paintings and photographs as ‘No Protection Items’. This means they are sent at the sender’s own risk.

For higher valued pieces, it’s better to lean away from your local postal service and think about hiring a specialist fine art transportation company. Especially if you have incredibly valuable paintings, antiques, or sculptures. Or if the artwork you’re moving is from a gallery, museum, or private collection.

International Couriers

Not every piece of work you have will be going to another place in the nation. Sometimes it will be going to a different country (or outside of the nation for the United Kingdom).

DHL Express and TNT allow artwork to be shipped. Both have restrictions on pieces. DHL advise that the sender cannot send antiques, artworks, and fine art if the individual value goes above £5,000. Whereas TNT classify certain pieces as restricted items depending on the value they hold.

Aardvark currently ships art nationwide – all across the United Kingdom. If you want to ship your pieces internationally, you should contact us first with any questions you have.

Otherwise, there are specific couriers out there that transport from the UK to other countries, particularly other European countries.

Aardvark Art Services: About Us

Many of our customers and clients include museums, galleries, exhibits, and private collectors. Equipped with the knowledge, experience, and specialist equipment necessary to relocate your fine art, we can guarantee safety.

Get in touch with us if you have any artwork to transport. Whether it’s moving your art to an art fair or delivering a commission to a customer – don’t risk your hard work.

And if you have any questions or would like to know more about what we do, just ask!