WeShipArt

The moving, handling and installing of a work of art require considerable knowledge and experience. WeShipArt is the first Floridian company specializing in the transport of works of art. Along with transport services, it offers packing services, consulting services for the import and export of art, specialized storage and installation of works whether it be at fairs, or in private or public collections. Their routes include all of the cities of the United States, as well as Europe, Asia and Latin America. We spoke with its founder José Manuel Sánchez regarding the operating details of the company, the different projects they have been involved in since their founding in 2008 and their plans for the future.

By Raisa Clavijo

Raisa Clavijo - How did the idea of creating WeShipArt come about?

José Manuel Sánchez - I come from a family of collectors interested above all in Latin American art. I became interested in collecting at a very early age. I have a great collection that I have been building over the years and I have had a close relationship with artists and gallerists for the past two decades.  Furthermore, I have set up several companies and have been involved in the transport business for many years. As of 2000 Miami began to change in the cultural arena, and 2002 saw the arrival of Art Basel Miami Beach and also many galleries started opening in the city, above all in Wynwood. The art fair boom also started and more and more galleries began participating in fairs in different cities of the United States and in other countries. I realized that there was no local transport company working directly with galleries and meeting their specific needs. The handling and transport of works of art require specific experience and training in security and conservation. It was then that I decided to create WeShipArt, a company specializing in the transport of works of art, which currently in addition to the headquarters office in Miami, has locations in Caracas, Madrid, Paris, London and Berlin. We are also opening an office in Mexico. In the cities where we do not have offices, we work with local companies specializing in the transport and installation of works of art. We are the first company established in Florida specializing in the transport of works of art.

Jose Manuel Sánchez and his staff while installing Rafael Barrios’ sculptures at Park Avenue, New York City, March 2012. Photo: Claudio Napolitano.

R.C. - Do you offer services other than transport?

J.M.S. - Yes, apart from transporting works of art, we offer packing services, consulting services for the import and export of art through domestic and international customs, specialized storage and installation of works at fairs as well as in private and public collections.

R.C. - What destinations does WeShipArt cover?

J.M.S. - An estimated 60% of our operations are directed at destinations outside of the United States and 40% at domestic destinations. We cover routes to all the cities of the United States, mainly New York and Los Angeles. Additionally, we send shipments to Europe, mainly to France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, and Great Britain, as well as to all of the countries in Asia. Of course, we also send shipments to Latin America, which is one of our principal destinations. We send shipments to Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Bolivia, as well as all of Central America. In Latin America, customs have many requirements; it is essential to know the bureaucratic formalities that must be completed and to have all of the certifications required by each country. We know this market very well because we have been shipping art to Latin America for many years.

Shots from the transportation and installation process of Rafael Barrios’ sculptures at Park Avenue, New York City, March 2012. Photos: Claudio Napolitano and Mali Parkerson.

R.C. - What qualifications and experience does your team have?

J.M.S. - Every member of the team has received professional training that includes handling, packing, conservation, installation and transport of works of art. Furthermore, we not only train employees, but we also verify their backgrounds and guarantee their moral integrity.

R.C. - Tell me about the resources WeShipArt has to guarantee the suitable transport, conservation and installation of works of art?

J.M.S. - Our principal resource is many years of experience. We have an extensive list of customers that includes the most renowned galleries, foundations, private collections and local museums. Elements that our customers value are confidentiality, discretion and privacy in the handling of their works. Many collectors and galleries move very costly pieces and they prefer to do it with a serious company that guarantees privacy and security during the process. WeShipArt has a fleet of trucks with the ideal conservation and security conditions for transporting works of art. This fleet is updated frequently. We also have a trailer devoted solely to the transport of art. Furthermore, all of the vehicles are equipped with GPS, and we have insurance guaranteeing the integrity of the pieces during transport. We have a 5000 sq. ft. transit warehouse with suitable humidity and temperature controls, where works are placed temporarily, before being sent on to their final destinations. Additionally, we have an 800 sq. ft. warehouse or ‘safety vault’ for works that will remain for a much longer period.

Make the use cheap cipla tadalafil of a pill So many pills are there in the market. It helps to get more blood during sexual arousal and sensitivity to cause an erection in the natural way. Source free levitra samples is an FDA-approved oral prescription medication for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) is, in actual sense a very casual type of health condition which gradually affects men over a period of time. cialis uk Imagine how your confidence will skyrocket! Are you single? Imagine your love life when you can learn earlier and start having fun immediately the purchase is made. The blood circulation in the veins viagra free delivery and arteries of it allow lots of blood to flow freely in the body.

Shots from the transportation and installation process of Rafael Barrios’ sculptures at Park Avenue, New York City, March 2012. Photos: Claudio Napolitano and Mali Parkerson.

The secret to transporting works of art is to appreciate and guide the handling of the piece, to force people to handle the work of art properly. The word I most often say is “No.” One must have the experience and intuition to be aware of the risks. Each case and each piece must be evaluated in accordance with its specifications and needs. Each case is different; the advantage is that we only handle art.

WeShipArt has the advantage of having designed its own packing materials because often the market does not offer products with the ideal conditions to store and move works, i.e., acid-free professional packing materials, etc. Materials of this type offered commercially are very costly. At this time, WeShipArt offers the most inexpensive packing because we utilize our own materials. We are currently working on a packing model for paintings and two-dimensional works in general, and also on a crate model that we will offer to galleries for moving works to fairs. It is a crate with a design that allows them to pack together all of the works that they ordinarily take to a fair, with all of the available packing material. The gallery can place all of the works in the same crate; this is closed at the time of shipment and is opened inside the fair at the moment of installation.

Shots from the transportation and installation process of Rafael Barrios’ sculptures at Park Avenue, New York City, March 2012. Photos: Claudio Napolitano and Mali Parkerson.

R.C. - For the past few years you have had among your customers some of the most prominent artists, galleries, museums, auction houses and fairs in the United States. Would you share an anecdote about a situation that may have put your team’s responsiveness to the test?

J.M.S. - Well, the most intense time of the year, when my team’s professional and organizational skills are put to the test, is each December in Miami during Art Fairs Week. During that period we work with several galleries participating in different fairs and it is necessary move their work and install and dismantle their booths. Apart from this, during the year we work with different institutions and private collections. We work with auction houses like, Christies’, Sotheby’s and Phillips de Pury; museums like the Houston Museum of Fine Art, biennials like the Bienal de Venecia, la Bienal de Sao Paulo, fairs like Art Basel (Switzerland and Miami Beach); Pinta (New York, London and Miami), ARCOmadrid, Zona Maco, arteBA, ARTBO, Art Lima, Houston Fine Art, The Armory Show, Art Miami, PULSE, among many others. We also work with independent artists and with foundations like Fundación Gego, Fundación Cruz Diez, and other private ones, providing support for their charitable activities benefiting non-profit organizations. Two years ago we shipped an important exposition of the works of Alejandro Otero to Brazil.

WeShipArt specializes in the transport of works of art, packing services, consulting services for the import and export of art, specialized storage and installation of works at fairs, private or public collections.

R.C. - I know that your team has participated in the shipment and installation of important works of public art. Would you share an anecdote about this experience?

J.M.S. - We have installed art in public spaces on a number of occasions. In 2012, we shipped and installed all of the pieces of Rafael Barrios for his project on Park Avenue, in New York City. It was indeed a challenge for my team because we had to work in record time; we installed nine monumental works in six hours, under inclement conditions. We had the pressure that the project would soon be inaugurated and the city provided a very small window of time for the installation of the works. We had to put our logistic and organizational skills into practice in order to get it done. Then, in 2013, we installed another of Barrios’ pieces during New York Fashion Week, where Venezuelan designer Angel Sánchez presented a collection inspired by the work of Rafael Barrios. We have mounted and assisted at countless charity events and auctions for hospitals and local institutions.

R.C. - What are your plans for the future?

J.M.S. - I do not wish to merely generate money with WeShipArt; I want to offer services and gain loyal customers. As I mentioned before, the foundation of our work is seriousness and confidentiality. Most collectors acquire art to enjoy it, not to promote themselves, and they value a company that respects these principles. Furthermore, the work of my team speaks for itself. Often at fairs, when galleries from outside of Miami see our uniformed team mounting a booth in record time or handling works of art in a professional manner, they often approach and ask us to provide them with our services. It is a matter of generating credibility and confidence by providing results.

For further information about WeShipArt contact, www.weshipart.com / WeShipArt@gmail.com / Phone: 305 882 8387 / 954 681 9490.

Raisa Clavijo is an art historian and art critic based in Miami. She is the editor-in-chief of ARTPULSE and ARTDISTRICTS magazines.