How to ship art and paintings

Before you start

Most damage in transit comes from three things: a blow to a corner, glass breaking onto the surface, and something touching the paint. Every method below exists to prevent those three.

1. Choose the method by the artwork, not by the box you have.

2. Check the artwork. Is the paint fully dry (not tacky at all)? Is the frame solid, the hanging wire secure, the glass intact? Is any paint flaking? A flaking or damaged artwork should not travel until a conservator has looked at it.
3. Photograph it before packing. Front, back, corners, signature, any existing marks, plus a few photos of each packing stage. These are your evidence if there is a claim. If the artwork is on Philoteknia, add these photos to its record: they become part of its history.
4. Measure and weigh the artwork with its frame. Carriers price on size as well as weight, so a box only slightly larger than needed saves money.
5. Work clean. Clear table, clean hands or cotton gloves, no rings or watches. Get help for anything you cannot comfortably lift alone.

What you need

All of this is available from a packaging shop or online; you will not need every item for every artwork.

Avoid newspaper (ink transfers), plastic film directly on paint or paper (traps moisture, can stick), and packing peanuts (they shift and let the artwork sink to the bottom).

Framed artworks under glass or acrylic

The main risk is the glass: if it breaks, the shards cut into the artwork. Tape it first, then build layers outward.

1. Clean the glass so no smudges are sealed in.
2. Tape the glass (real glass only). Apply low-tack tape in a grid or a large X across the whole pane. If the glass breaks, the tape holds the pieces together. Do not tape acrylic (Plexiglas); it scratches easily and tape can mark it. Cover acrylic with tissue instead.
3. Very large glazed frame? Consider having a framer remove the glass and ship it separately or replace it on arrival. Large panes break most easily.
4. Wrap in glassine or acid-free tissue, front and back, taped to itself only. Never tape over the Philoteknia label on the back, and keep it visible on arrival.
5. Fit corner protectors on all four corners.
6. Wrap in bubble wrap, bubbles facing out, two or three layers, about 5 cm thick on all sides. Tape the seams.
7. Sandwich between two sheets of rigid board slightly larger than the frame and tape them together. This stops anything from punching through the face.
8. Inner box: place it in a snug box and fill any gap so it cannot move.
9. Outer box (double boxing): put the inner box in a larger box with at least 5 cm of padding on every side. This is the single most effective step against rough handling.
10. Shake test: close the box and tilt it gently. If you hear or feel movement, add padding.
11. Seal and label: tape all seams and flaps; mark "Fragile", "Glass", and arrows for "This way up". Ship framed artworks standing on edge, not lying flat.

Unframed canvases on a stretcher

The paint surface is exposed, so nothing may press on it, and the canvas can be dented from front or back.

1. Make sure the paint is fully dry. Oil can feel dry on the surface and still be soft underneath; thick paint (impasto) needs weeks or months. If in doubt, wait.
2. Cover the face with glassine, not bubble wrap or plastic. Fold it around the stretcher bars and tape it to itself or to the back of the stretcher, never to the paint.
3. Protect the back: cut a piece of rigid board to fit inside the stretcher bars at the back, so nothing can push into the canvas from behind. Never tape over the Philoteknia label on the back, and keep it visible on arrival.
4. Corner protectors on all four corners.
5. Sandwich between two rigid boards slightly larger than the canvas.
6. Thick or textured paint: the face board must not touch the paint. Build a shallow "tray" with spacers (strips of board on the edges of the stretcher) so the front board sits above the surface.
7. Bubble wrap, then double box, exactly as for framed artworks (see Framed artworks under glass or acrylic, steps 6 to 11).

Works on paper, pastel and charcoal

Paper must stay flat and dry; powdery media must not be touched at all.

Watercolours, prints, ink and pencil drawings (unframed)

1. Place the artwork face up on a sheet of rigid board, slightly larger than the paper.
2. Cover with glassine. Hold the artwork in place with paper photo corners or by taping the glassine to the board, never tape on the artwork.
3. Put a second board on top and tape the two boards together on all sides.
4. Slide the sandwich into a flat, rigid envelope or box, padded so it cannot shift, and mark "Do not bend".

Never roll or fold a work on paper to save postage; the creases are permanent.

Pastel, charcoal and soft pencil

These smudge at the lightest touch, so the method changes:

• Nothing may lie on the surface, not even glassine, if the artwork is unfixed. Build a shallow box or "tray" from board strips around the edges, so the lid sits above the artwork without touching it.
• Keep it face up at all times and label the box "This side up" on several faces.
• Framed pastels are best framed with a mat or spacer, so the glass does not touch the pastel. Never cover a pastel with acrylic glazing: the static charge can lift pigment off the paper.
• Glass on a pastel frame: tape it like any glass (see Framed artworks under glass or acrylic). Do not knock or vibrate the frame while packing; loose pigment falls onto the mat.

Rolled canvases in a tube

Rolling is cheaper and suits large modern canvases, but it is the riskiest method for the paint. Use it only when the conditions below are met, and tell the recipient in advance that the canvas will need restretching.

Do not roll if the paint is thick or textured, old or brittle, cracked or flaking, not completely dry, or if the artwork is on paper, board or panel. When in doubt, ship flat.

1. Remove the canvas from its stretcher carefully, taking out staples or tacks with a flat tool. Keep the stretcher bars if the recipient will reuse them.
2. Use the widest core you can. A larger diameter bends the paint less. Inside the shipping tube, roll onto a separate inner core (a sturdy cardboard tube, or a fabric-roll tube) wrapped in glassine.
3. Lay a sheet of glassine or acid-free tissue over the paint, larger than the canvas.
4. Roll with the paint facing out. Conservators recommend this: when the canvas is later unrolled and flattened, paint that was on the outside is compressed rather than stretched, so it is less likely to crack.
5. Roll slowly and evenly, keeping the edges aligned and smoothing out any creases in the tissue.
6. Wrap the roll in bubble wrap, bubbles out, until it fits snugly in the shipping tube.
7. Shipping tube: rigid, thick-walled, with end caps, about 10 cm longer than the roll. Pad both ends so the roll cannot slide.
8. Seal the caps with tape, and for longer journeys consider putting the tube inside a box.

On arrival, the canvas should be unrolled at room temperature and restretched by a framer, not left rolled for long.

Large or valuable artworks

Above a certain size, weight or value, a cardboard box is no longer enough and a parcel network is the wrong channel.

Use a wooden crate when the artwork is large, heavy, has a fragile carved or gilded frame, or travels abroad. Packaging suppliers sell ready-made crates; a framer or art packer can build one to size. The wrapped artwork is held inside with foam blocks so it cannot touch the crate walls.

Use a professional art shipper when:

• the artwork is too large or heavy for a parcel carrier;
• its value is beyond what a parcel carrier will insure (see Carriers, insurance and labels);
• it is old, fragile or has any damage;
• it leaves the EU and may need an export licence (see Sending abroad).

Art shippers collect, pack on site, move the artwork in climate-controlled vehicles, handle customs and offer "nail to nail" insurance (from the wall it leaves to the wall it arrives at). They cost more, but for a valuable or irreplaceable artwork they are the only sound option. Ask at least two for a quote, and ask which insurance is included.

A middle route: some packing shops and framers will pack the artwork for you, after which you book the carrier yourself.

Carriers, insurance and labels

Read the carrier's conditions before you book: many carriers limit or exclude works of art, and an artwork sent against those conditions may not be covered at all.

• Check whether art is accepted, and up to what value. DHL Express, for example, treats works of art as restricted: above a value threshold it accepts them only by prior written agreement, and that threshold differs from country to country (DHL Express country conditions). Postal services and other couriers have their own rules.
• "Registered" or "insured" postage is not art insurance. Cover is usually capped at a fixed amount and often requires proof of value. Check the cap against what the artwork is worth.
• Ask your own insurer. Some home contents policies cover artworks in transit, or can add it for a single shipment.
• Declare a realistic value, supported by an invoice, valuation or recent comparable sale. You can never claim more than you can prove.
• Choose tracked, signed-for delivery, and avoid sending on a Friday so the parcel does not sit in a depot over the weekend.
• Labels: address on top and on one side, a copy of the address inside the box, "Fragile", "This way up" arrows on all sides, and "Glass" where applicable.
• Keep everything: receipt, tracking number, your packing photos.

Sending abroad

Within the EU, artworks move freely: no customs formalities for private shipments. Leaving the EU is different.

Outside the EU, every shipment goes through customs. You need a customs declaration (the carrier provides the form) stating what the artwork is, its value and whether it is a gift, a sale or a temporary export. The recipient may have to pay import VAT or duties in their country.

Some artworks also need an export licence. EU rules require a licence to take "cultural goods" out of the EU, and this applies even when you send them by post or carry them in your luggage (Netherlands Heritage Inspectorate). For artworks, the licence is needed only when the piece is more than 50 years old, does not belong to the artist who made it, and is worth more than:

Source: annex to Regulation (EC) No 116/2009, confirmed by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation heritage service.

Below these thresholds no EU licence is needed. Be aware that individual countries may protect specific artworks as national heritage with their own rules, and some (France, for example) apply higher national thresholds. If an artwork might qualify, ask the heritage authority of your region or country before shipping, or let an art shipper handle it.

Moving to or from the UK, Switzerland, Norway or the US counts as leaving the EU.

On arrival

Ask the recipient to:

1. Inspect the box before signing and note any visible damage on the delivery receipt.
2. Let the parcel rest a few hours at room temperature before opening if it has come through cold or damp conditions.
3. Open the box carefully, cutting the tape, never stabbing into the box with a knife.
4. Photograph each layer while unpacking, and the artwork itself, before hanging it.
5. Report any damage to the carrier straight away; claim deadlines are short.

Quick checklist

• Method chosen to suit the artwork (flat, rolled, crate, art shipper)
• Paint fully dry; no flaking
• Photos taken of artwork and packing
• Glass taped (real glass only)
• Glassine or tissue against the artwork, nothing sticky on it
• Corners protected
• Rigid boards front and back
• Double boxed, no movement on shake test
• Carrier accepts art at this value; insurance checked
• Customs declaration and, if needed, export licence (outside the EU)
• Labels on all sides; address copy inside
• Tracking number shared with the recipient

Sources

• National Gallery Singapore: How to pack a framed painting
• US National Park Service Conserve O Gram 17/6: Packing a framed two-dimensional object
• MITRA (University of Delaware) conservation forum: rolling paintings paint side out
• Fine Art Shippers: How to ship a large painting
• Art Business Info: Packing pastel paintings
• DHL Express: Prohibited and restricted items
• Regulation (EC) No 116/2009, Annex I
• Netherlands Information and Heritage Inspectorate: Export licences
• European Commission: Cultural goods