Moving art overseas - with absolute care

Our fine art transport team can coordinate your complete international art transport solution. Our services include local collection by art handlers, preparation, crating, customs advice, carnets, custom securities and documentation, air terminal supervision, overseas delivery and transit insurance.

King & Wilson Essential Art Services has affiliations with an extensive network of fine art agents around the world, ensuring that we are able to professionally handle works of any scale and complexity both into and out of Australia.

We have the resources and experience to create a customised solution to suit your budget, time constraints and the particular requirements for the safety and security of art objects.

Expert handling and processes

We have transported a wide range of art objects, large and small, for museums, galleries, art fairs as well as private collectors and auction houses. Our fine art transport team has the expertise and experience to manage the logistics for entire exhibitions, including packing and crating, transport and installation.

Secure equipment and facilities

Our secure vehicles are custom built for art transport and feature racking and carton hold areas specifically designed to prevent movement and vibration. Insulated and equipped with GPS tracking and hydraulic tail-lifts, our fleet is only operated by trained members of our Essential Art Services team.

Professional art packing

Our experienced packing and crating team use a range of archival packing materials and standardised techniques to prepare art objects of any size, weight, construction and sensitivity for any mode of transport. Our exhibition crates are made to be easily unpacked and re-packed.

Our specialist art packing materials include:

  • Museum or gallery specification foam lined timber crates to ISPM15 Certification
  • Handmade bespoke cardboard boxes and sleeves
  • Tyvek
  • Softlon
  • Cellaire wrap
  • Ethafoam

Our manual handling processes and procedures have been designed in consultation with professional conservators to ensure outstanding quality, safety and consistency in all our packing tasks.

Should you require it, we can also arrange:

Contact us or request a quote for more information.

Frequently asked questions

Can you deliver and pick-up on weekends?

Yes, we can pick-up and deliver artwork on weekends however there is a surcharge for services outside normal business hours.

Can you guarantee specific climate conditions during transport?

By choosing the right packing method, we can insulate artwork from changes in temperature during transit. We have a range of insulating materials for packing and crating and our own fleet of climate controlled vehicles.

Do you move art by air or sea?

We can move art by either service, depending on your budget and requirements.

Works of art and valuable objects are generally transported by air as it is a faster service which minimises risk and is better suited to smaller shipments.

Request a quote for more information.

Will I have to pay customs, duties and taxes when sending artwork overseas?

This depends on the country you are shipping to and the purpose for the shipment.

Most definitive imports are subject to local sales taxes. Most countries have duty exemptions for works of art. There are mechanisms and processes to deal with travelling exhibitions or temporary imports or exports.

King & Wilson Essential Art Services is able to provide customs advice for all international destinations and can tailor bespoke customs declaration solutions.

Can you handle large, awkward, heavy objects such as large bronze sculptures and installations consisting of many objects?

Yes, we have access to cranes, forklifts, slings and hydraulic tail lift equipment to safely transport your large, sensitive, awkward or heavy objects.

Have another question? Call us on 1300 365 804 or contact us.