Archive · 10 Dec 2025
Artworks' Complex Journeys: From Packaging to Display
Artworks often travel long distances to be displayed in exhibitions.
This journey involves careful planning, special packaging, and skilled handlers.
For example, a 1971 etching called Dead Politician is being sent to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
Another example is the transportation of 3rd-century artefacts from Andhra Pradesh to New York.
Moving art is challenging because of their weight, fragility, and the need for special care.
Companies like Star Worldwide and MasterArt Logistics handle these tasks.
They ensure that artworks are packed safely, transported carefully, and insured properly.
Sometimes, unexpected problems arise, like a sculpture not fitting as planned.
Despite these challenges, the art logistics industry has improved over the years, making it safer for artworks to travel.
The Dead Politician and Monument by Gieve Patel are being transported to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
Star Worldwide moved 3rd-century artefacts from Andhra Pradesh to New York, facing challenges due to their weight and fragility.
Art logistics companies like Star Worldwide and MasterArt handle packaging, transportation, and insurance for high-value artworks.
Unexpected issues, such as a sculpture not fitting as planned, require innovative solutions during installation.
The art logistics industry has evolved, with better training and procedures to ensure the safe transport of artworks.
- Who
- Artists, galleries, logistics companies, and handlers
- What
- Transportation and handling of high-value artworks
- When
- Ongoing, with specific examples from 1990s to 2023
- Where
- India, New York, various international locations
- Why
- To exhibit artworks at different venues and events
- Artworks Mentioned
- Dead Politician, Monument, 3rd-century CE artefacts, For, In Your Tongue, I Cannot Fit, Night that Witnessed II, Melting, Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy, Untitled, Rattan Snake
- Logistics Companies
- Star Worldwide, MasterArt Logistics, Chemould Prescott Road, Experimenter
- Destinations
- Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Italian Embassy, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, National Gallery of Modern Art, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre
- Challenges
- Weight, fragility, packaging, transportation, customs, insurance, unexpected issues
- Key Personnel
- Roshan Lal, Rajesh Gulati, Jagruti Suryavanshi, Atul Mithal, Jayasri Burman, Anil Vishwakarma, Prateek Raja