Art Basel

Brief

We successfully partnered with Art Basel in Miami Beach (ABMB), the largest contemporary art fair in the United States, leveraging our international network and expertise to manage the transportation, installation, and logistical challenges associated with exhibiting high-profile galleries and their artworks at the prestigious art world event. Our long-term collaboration with Miami Basel began in 2010 when were appointed one of the official shippers to the fair.

Solution

We orchestrated the smooth execution of the event logistics, coordinating the delivery and collection of artworks across international waters. This required meticulous planning and coordination across Gander & White’s seven international facilities.

As with each year we have worked with ABMB, we established pricing, including transport to and from ABMB, install and deinstall processes, onsite storage, and both domestic and international delivery rates. We also set timelines for artworks to arrive at warehouse locations to ensure they met the delivery deadlines ahead of the event. To minimise costs and support sustainability, we encouraged galleries to opt for consolidated sea freight well in advance.

Throughout the planning and execution phases, we kept open lines of communication with all relevant parties, including the fair organisers, galleries, collectors, and buyers. This allowed us to act dynamically with all key stakeholders’ requirements in mind, so we could accommodate any unique requests, such as unconventional artwork installations.

Challenges and Opportunities

The cost of participating as an official shipper and managing the financial aspects of the art fair participation required high levels of strategic consideration. We manage risks related to overtime costs, staff burnout, and operational logistics during a fair where installation / put – in usually falls over a major holiday weekend in the U.S. with careful planning and resource allocation.

Highlights

Our involvement with Miami Basel has led to several impressive logistical feats. Notably, we successfully handled the transportation and installation of a large Alexander Calder sculpture called “Stegosaurus” at the fair’s main entrance. This required a flatbed vehicle for delivery, a shooting boom for installation, and a team of eight skilled art handlers.

It was also incredibly rewarding to work with forty-five galleries at a single fair, including global partners. This close involvement included tasks such as installing VIP and Collectors lounges and setting up main floor galleries, smaller sectors, and larger works like those found in the Meridians section.