Art in Transit: The One Stop Guide for Packing and Shipping Art.

​​"This handbook is intended to be a reference for anyone involved in the packing and shipping of painting"

Packing your art for shipping can be a daunting experience. ​If you care about the art you’re shipping, or if you just want to learn the do’s and don’ts of packing and transporting, then keep on reading. We’ve recently come across a copy of Art in Transit, a classic but long forgotten manual that will help you deal with some of the challenges of preparing your art for transport. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to packing and shipping art, have lots of experience or — like us — care about doing things right. This extensive manual will be an ideal companion and give answers to most, if not all of your questions. 
​
Art in Transit was written by museum experts and will tell you exactly what materials to use and what to avoid when packing different types of art like paintings or framed work. It will also speak to you in detail about evaluating fitness for travel if you work with fragile materials and dealing with environmental conditions. The differences between traveling by truck, train, airplane or ship help to clarify all of the works most important sensitivities and how to deal with them.

​This book by far is the most complete in it’s genre and was published by the National Gallery of Art Washington in 1991. Originally written for galleries of art and museums, it brings together invaluable experiences of conservators, packers, and shippers of painting. Unfortunately the original publication is expensive and only a few copies are available on the market. Museumpak has come accross a digital copy that you can download for free at the following link.

Download Art In Transit e-book

Art in Transit 
Handbook for packing and transporting paintings
Mervin Richard
Marion F. Mecklenburg and Ross M. Merrill 
Copyright © 1991, 1997 National Gallery of Art
First edition 1991. Second edition 1997
No. of pages: 172
Hardcover - pages
Paperback pages;
ISBN-10 ISBN-13
pdf document - 6.1MB file size​

The content includes the following:

• Assessing Risks
  • Criteria for the Selection of Paintings for Loan
  • Selection Criteria for Frames
  • Selection Criteria for Paintings on Canvas or Paper Mounted on Canvas
  • Additional Issues for Large Paintings on Canvas
  • Selection Criteria for Contemporary Paintings on Canvas
  • Paintings on Wood, Ivory, or Bone
  • Paintings on Metal and Other Nonporous Rigid Supports
• Transit Climate Conditions
  • Expected Transit Environments in Summer and Winter
• Temperature Protection
  • Insulating Materials
  • Temperature Half-Time
  • Temperature Half-Times of Packing Cases
• Relative Humidity Protection
  • Wrapping Materials for Paintings: Polyethylene
  • Wrapping Materials for Paintings: Glassine
  • Wrapping Materials for Paintings: Kraft Paper
  • Wrapping Materials for Paintings: Kraft Paper or Glassine Covered with Polyethylene
  • Wrapping Materials for Paintings: Inner Packing Case
  • General Properties of Silica Gel
  • Use of Silica Gel in Packing Cases for Painting
• Shock and Vibration Hazards
  • Shock and Vibration Hazards
  • Vibration Fragility of Painting
• Shock Protection
  • Fragility Factors
  • Probable Drop Heights
  • How to Use a Dynamic Cushioning Curve: Procedure A
  • How to Use a Dynamic Cushioning Curve: Procedure B
  • Optimum Static Loads - Quick Reference Table
  • Load-Bearing Areas
• Vibration Protection
  • Vibration Control for Canvas Paintings - Backboards
  • Vibration Control for Canvas Paintings - Foam Inserts behind the Painting
  • Vibration Control for Canvas Paintings - Stretcher Lining
• Packing Cases
  • Case Construction - Structure
  • Handles
  • Skids
  • Chemical Stability of Packing Materials
  • Soft Packing
  • Sample Packing Case No. 1
  • Sample Packing Case No. 2
  • Sample Packing Case No. 3
  • Sample Packing Case No. 4
  • Sample Packing Case No. 5
  • Sample Packing Case No. 6
  • Sample Packing Case No. 7
  • Case Labels - English, French, Spanish, German, Italian
• Role of the Courier
• Glossary