Preparing a painting for exhibition
May 7 2012
Video: Royal Collection
A new video from the Royal Collection shows how great care is taken when transporting masterpieces. The picture in question is a Canaletto from the Royal Collection, sent for display at Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. Presumably, therefore, it didn't have far to go.
These days, most public collections insist on this sort of treatment, no matter how short the distance travelled, or how insignificant the item. It's one reason why loan exhibitions have become so inordinately expensive. Some collections, though, do manage to maintain a sense of proportion. Some years ago, we had a loan exhibition of Tudor art at our gallery; one item, a miniature of no enormous value, had to be flown first class with an accompanying curator in a specially constructed crate. The transportation bill was about the same as the item's value. The most valuable exhibit, on the other hand, came in a curator's handbag via the Tube.
