An exceptional move: 1,200 works of art between Kinshasa and Kempton Park

When he met with the AGS team last September, the client wanted to move nearly 1,200 works of art from the DRC to Kempton Park in South Africa, for exhibition in a new museum. AGS Kinshasa managed the project from start to finish. To best meet this request, Stanislas Smialek, deputy branch manager of the Kinshasa branch, sought advice from AGS fine arts specialist Clément Maxime Beauvais.

The first step was to define the project scope. “To guarantee high-quality service, we needed to inventory the works and document their medias and dimensions to understand how best to transport them,” explains Stanislas.

Extraordinary dimensions

The works included numerous paintings, but also sculptures of various sizes. One was particularly impressive, standing two meters tall. “Some of the works didn’t fit in our trucks, so we had to find larger vehicles to transport them safely,” Stanislas points out.

Due to the humidity of the DRC’s climate, the paintings could also not be packed in tissue paper, as is usually the case. “The moisture causes the tissue paper to stick to the surface of the paint, and the risk of damage was too great,” explains the deputy branch manager. The decision was therefore made to use bubble wrap and foam paper, which are more suitable.

A dozen highly trained packers then packed each piece, secured them in crates, loaded them into containers, and cleared them through customs before they were transported by sea to their final destination. “We brought the shipping containers to the customer’s premises for loading,” explains Stanislas. In total, eight shipping crates and three 40-foot containers were needed to transport this extraordinary collection.

Finding the right equipment

“We had to find crates that were suitable for the works,” emphasises Stanislas. “For the largest statue, we devised a system of base reinforcement and straps to keep it stable during transport in the container.” This is the kind of personalised service that AGS strives to provide for each customer.

The teams also used refrigerated containers to maintain stable humidity and temperature levels and thus protect the works during their journey to South Africa.

“This was a first for our branch,” emphasises Stanislas. “We often transport works of art, but never in such large numbers and as a collection. It was a great opportunity to showcase our expertise in this specialised service.”

 
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