Our Art Exhibition Logistics & Transport Process

Many potential perils await art on the move. Mitigating them depends on who’s in charge of the exhibition logistics.  

For any art gallery or museum organising an exhibition of their permanent or temporary collections around the country or even the world, the entire process can often be fraught with worry. Getting precious works from A to B and onwards to C is not, after all, just about transportation and storage. What if, for example, the ship your works are on sinks?

At Momentous, UK leaders in art shipping, we know there are several pressing concerns when museums and fine art galleries are involved in exhibition logistics. If not handled correctly, there is the real risk of catastrophic damage to priceless paintings, sculptures and other works of art. It is those high values that also snare the attention of top-level thieves who know when something valuable is on the move and are all too willing to swoop in and steal.

Exhibition logistics really is a fine art, given the size, dimensions and sheer weight of many works of art. Just how, many art gallery managers might puzzle, are you going to ship those enormous, wall-sized Jackson Pollocks from London to Malaga and then continue the worldwide tour in New York — and get them there on time and in one piece? It’s a definite challenge, but the good exhibition logistics news is there are seasoned pros on hand to help.

Exhibition Logistics: All in the Planning

When choosing a company like ours to handle exhibition logistics, it’s essential to carry out proper checks beforehand. What sort of facilities, transportation and storage do they have? Is the company accredited with leading quality management and removal standards? And are the staff who will be physically moving the works fully trained, experienced experts in their field?

Then it’s all about intricate planning and a laser-like focus on every detail. The best exhibition logistics firms will devise a comprehensive plan that covers every stage of transporting works of fine art from one place to another. It removes the stress and worry from art gallery and museum managers. This is why it’s vital to go with the exhibition logistics pros — works are protected, as well as peace of mind.

After all, it doesn’t matter how much sophisticated security is in place at an art gallery or museum, or how many security professionals and firms are working to keep them out of the hands of robbers. Once works are in transit, all of those vital levels of security go out the window and there are threats around every corner. It’s certainly a possibility that you may wave goodbye to your renowned paintings, hoping to see them soon at the other end of their journey — only for them to vanish and never be seen again.

Staging a Momentous Exhibition

Our seasoned exhibition logistics professionals work to ensure nothing goes awry at every stage of the project. This begins with ensuring the casing and packaging for precious works of art is a suitable fit, with bespoke packing often required due to works’ unusual shapes and sizes. To guarantee paintings and objects of art will survive what can be a long and arduous journey — by road, air or sea — it’s critical their packing is fully customised so they are not damaged.

While on the road, it may be required that works are stored for a period, and we have specialist, highly secure facilities here in the UK and right around the world.

Once we reach an exhibition destination, we are all set to start unpacking and installing the works of art. It’s not a case of dropping them off and leaving, but full-service exhibition logistics. That includes expert unpacking and getting works ready for the momentous exhibition to open to a whole new audience of art lovers.

Find out more about the best exhibition logistics for your next exhibit by contacting the experts at Momentous today. We’ll discuss every aspect of your plans, free of charge and with no obligation to you.