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ArtSmart: A Registrar’s Horror Story

Featured Author:

Nancy Rattenbury

Nancy M. Rattenbury has been involved in the art industry for many years and currently holds the position of Registrar at the Queens Museum of Art. She earned an MS in Historic Preservation with a concentration on architectural materials at Columbia University in 1994. In addition to freelance projects, she contracted collection care positions at the following institutions: The Flagler Museum, Henry Ford Museum, Edsel and Eleanor Ford House Museum, Cincinnati Art Museum, Fonthill Museum and Detroit Historical Museum. Her diversity of art conservation opportunities and collection care positions has solidified her background in art, preservation and museum projects.

More articles from this author:

• ARTSMART – Backing Boards
• Conservator/Registrar Sample Resume
• How to Install a Protective Backing Board

Last month, I received an advertisement from a fine art shipper which featured the image of a vintage pick-up situated on a dirt road and seated in the flatbed was a gilded framed painting with the caption “Who’s Minding the Art?” How clever I thought, for this was not far from reality. As a registrar, I have privileged access to many documents, files and incidences on how art has been handled, both appropriately and well…not so. When one thinks of a registrar’s role in moving art, what comes to mind is the long paper trail created for art handlers, especially in regards to the transportation and installation. From the on-looker, this responsibility appears rigid and serious; however, buried under this mountain of formalities is an underlying humor. Consequently, a stockpile of perplexing art handling incidences are forever being chronicled in the registrar’s confidential file for reference. These are not uncommon events, especially when those given the task have not had the opportunity to work with artifacts or the special requirements needed to handle them. The amount of money in one’s budget doesn’t always dictate the amount of common sense that will be utilized in a particular art situation.

In browsing through my anonymous file there are several notable handling incidences that come to mind. For instance, while waiting for an artist to bring work to a group exhibition, I caught the curious sight in which several canvas paintings were “loosely” tied to the roof of the car. As the vehicle navigated the twists and turns of the roadway leading up to the delivery entrance, the paintings fluttered amid bursts of air caught on the underside of the canvases. This car arrived liked a windsurfer on wheels for the first day of competition. Fortunately not one of the three paintings took a solo flight to the detriment of a road debris finish. It was a theatrical arrival; however, performance art was not on the calendar for that morning. It is important to have a thorough plan for moving art, especially one that takes into account the physics of velocity, air currents and movement. What appears to be stable while stationary may not be the case when things are put into rapid motion.

It was a hot summer afternoon when a tinted black suburban slowly approached the studio building. As I glanced from the front entrance, the driver’s side window opened to reveal a glimpse of a beautifully carved gilded frame and painting. The vehicle continued to idle in the no parking zone while also attempting to disperse this artwork through the open window. How odd, for there are two doors in the back of the van that could easily accommodate unloading this work in a much more appropriate and safe manner. The driver continued to ignore my requests to open the rear side doors to retrieve the work. This was quite surprising considering that this was coming from a very expensive private collection. It was only when the dimension of the frame exceeded the car window that this circus style delivery ceased. The idea that it was ever considered was absurd in my book.

I understand the dreaded task of finding adequate parking in a metropolitan city, especially when trapped behind the wheel at rush hour with a million other aggravated drivers on the same quest. And the complexity increases when there is no co-pilot in spotting that indispensable space that will lend you the ease in getting the delivery to your destination without obstacles. Yet in those brief moments of traffic stupor, the idea of a “drive-by-paper-route” get it to within 20 yards of the target seems applicable enough, it is time to take a deep breath and recalculate the logistics. For this painting is not a pizza or newspaper needing a rush delivery, but artwork and very expensive.

With all the time, effort, investment and concern spent in preparing / collecting work for an exhibit, the act of transporting it without proper care is just foolish. More so, the explanation needed for the insurance company on how this work was damaged in trying to squeeze it out of a car window. I doubt it would be considered one of America’s funniest home videos.

While instances of unusual handling practices can run the gamut from novice to expert, there is never a lack of creativity when it comes to large and awkward works of art. For example, strapping an 18th century tall case clock in the back seat of a van appears to be safety conscious in terms of the seatbelt law, however, this is not your Aunt Bee heading to grandma’s for dinner. It is an artifact that is unable to explain that the metal clasp on the seatbelt is abrading the fine woodwork finish from it’s center region. Not to mention it’s mechanisms have been knocked out of equilibrium like a fish out of water. Again fine art/antiques require special handling much like newborns, and travel blankets are vital for both.

There are two key factors to remember when addressing the aspects of certain decisions, first…don’t let your patience get the better half of you and always try to use the forethought of ‘worst case scenario’. Therefore, extra caution will be utilized in your preparations and hopefully limit the odds of accidental damage or incidence. There are many resources on line as well as art shipping companies who offer advice and tips for properly moving and handling artwork.