Getting the art shipping and handling right (2004)
A Conversation with Chris Kneale, Managing Director of Martinspeed, London.
artdesigncafé | Creative Business & Entrepreneurship | Published 13 September 2010
This article was previously published in Sculpture, 23(5), p. 10.
The phone rings— twice. Galleries in London and Tokyo want to include one of your sculptures in important group exhibitions. But you’ve got to get the artworks over there. How does this process work? What are the issues? And what are the potential pitfalls? Chris Kneale, Managing Director of Martinspeed, a London-based firm specializing in fine art transport, has been in the business for 20 years. Martinspeed has transported historical and contemporary artworks to every continent (except Antarctica). Its client list includes museums such as the Getty and the Guggenheim, a wide variety of galleries including Gagosian Gallery in New York/Los Angeles/London, Matthew Marks Gallery in New York, and White Cube and the Lisson Gallery in London, as well as individual artists and collectors.
R.J. Preece: What are the
key challenges in running an
international art shipping and
handling business?
Chris Kneale: Safety, security,
timing. Our primary concern is to
get the work to wherever it’s going
safely. It has to be intact, secure,
and on time. That’s why people
use us. Safety is probably the key
element, because the work is often
unique, usually of high value, and
very important and precious to
the person who owns it. Security,
because of the value. We have to
be incredibly vigilant, especially
with the rising prices of some of
the modern works and the Old
Masters. And timing. Because
inevitably there’s a deadline for
an exhibition.
R.J. Preece: What sorts of issues arise in
transporting and handling sculpture
and installation art—as opposed
to two-dimensional works?
Chris Kneale: Usually maneuverability, the
weight of a piece, and the often
difficult aspects of siting the
work. Sculpture may not be going
to a ground-floor space. Quite often galleries or collectors are
on the third or fifth floor. So, it’s
a question of getting up there.
Do you tear the windows out?
Do you use major cranes? Are the
lifts good enough?
We just did a private collector’s sculpture garden in Los Angeles, and he didn’t want any of his trees moved or injured in any way. We had to get cranes that would go over palm trees and reach the site he wanted behind the house. People say they want it in the garden, but you have no idea until you get there.
Installation art has its own challenges. A knowledge of different materials and how they behave is essential, as well as close association with the artist.
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