SEPTEMBER 2009
It’s a grey day on the West Coast and I’m standing on the steps of a house with one of the biggest front doors I’ve ever seen. I’ve never been here before or I would remember it. It’s that big. My partner is waiting back in the truck keeping a mindful eye on this morning’s assignment. We have with us a painting worth $2 million to deliver and install. At least we have nothing to worry about with the size of the door. The painting’s crate is only about three feet square by one foot deep. You couldn’t come close to packing two million loonies inside it.
“Fine Art Services? What is that exactly?” That’s the usual response we get when someone asks us what we do for a living. The usual answer has become “Well, we take care of everything to do with art, other than making it and selling it”. This isn’t entirely true, as 90% of our staff are artists themselves, but it usually suffices.
Fine Art Services can involve the storage, packing, crating, transport, framing, installation and insurance of paintings, drawings, photography, sculpture, irreplaceable antiques and collectibles, for artists, private collectors, museums and galleries, from Sechelt to Sevilla. Whenever you see an important work of art in a museum, gallery or a private home, consider that someone had to take the time to carefully move and install it. Some museums employ exhibit technicians or preparators especially for this purpose. Fine art service companies like ours also provide these skilled workers to art aficionados, galleries and museums without the budget to carry full-time exhibit staff.
I’m met at the enormous front door by the painting’s new owner. After the greetings and an explanation of our plan I retrieve my partner and the crate from the truck. The piece packed inside is extremely fragile so we’ll unpack it once we determine where it will be installed. Will it be better on the wall by the chaise, or over the fireplace mantle? We shall see.
Working for a fine art service company can be a complicated job. It requires a unique set of skills and some rather arcane knowledge. A background in art and artistic materials helps you know how to handle work in a variety of media. Hands-on tool skills and knowledge of construction techniques are essential for safe and secure installations. You have to be able to drive a large truck. The ability to talk to a variety of people about the art you’re dealing with is essential. You had also better be able to carry a framed photograph weighing 300 lbs up a flight of stairs with no problem.
In the case of the job at hand, we have no stairs to contend with. The crate is one of ours built two years ago for the painting inside to travel with a touring museum exhibit. In that time the owner has moved to a new home. She’s anxious to see the piece up on the wall, but isn’t entirely sure where to put it. We carefully remove it from the crate and once unwrapped it reveals itself to be a very nice little landscape of no small historical significance. That’s all I can say about that.
It’s very easy to compile stories doing this job day after day, but discretion and respect for our clients’ privacy is of tremendous importance to us. In 2006, a painting by Francisco Goya went missing from a truck while in transit from Toledo to the Guggenheim Museum for a show. It was recovered shortly thereafter, but I’m sure it was tremendously embarrassing for the transport company and the lending museum. One small slip in security and the worst can happen. To the outside observer we’re just another work truck on the road. We keep a low profile. Our offices look like all the others on the block.
While we aren’t interior designers, when asked we’re happy to offer suggestions as to where to place artwork. My partner makes a good case for placing the piece on the wall behind the chaise rather than over the fireplace. His observation that placing a $2 million canvas that close to a source of heat is a bad idea is both correct and well received. A few quick measurements and the tools come out. A hanging system is attached, the security key is turned and the piece is on the wall. We’ve done this with artwork worth $50 and artwork like the one at hand. Once the client is feels good about the job, we’re satisfied. We pack up our tools, load the empty crate onto the truck, and we’re off to the next job.
© A. Milne for Denbigh Fine Art Services
