Traveling Abroad - No Great Solutions for my art... :(

[Jesusjon]

Hi All,

 

I have a first world problem I could use some advice on. I have a great opportunity to travel and work abroad for about a year or more if all goes well. I am wrestling with what this means for my collection of about 15 or so framed pieces....Advice appreciated. All my options seem terrible. I will be based in Budapest and currently live in LA. I am putting some furniture into storage. Here are the options I've considered so far:

 

1) Ship everything overseas in the frame - Costly and puts the art at great risk of loss, damage, or customs. Not sure what could happen and frankly will not have space for everything once I arrive. Also would prefer not to be a target as a tourist abroad with an art collection in tow.

 

2) Remove everything from the frames and hand carry the art while shipping the frames. Huge hassle and still has some of the drawbacks of #1. Plus have to reframe everything once I arrive.

 

3) Put everything into storage here in LA. Typical storage places aren't necessarily climate controlled and have heard some horror stories of break ins.

 

4) Put everything into art storage. More costly but this is currently the front runner.

 

5) Tried to put my art on loan to the cartoon art museum in San Francisco but they are in between locations. This would have been my preferred solution. Would love to have the art on display somewhere while traveling so others can enjoy while I cannot.

 

Any other ideas? I feel like I'm in between a rock and a hard place...seems like it will be a great life experience but it's incongruous with owning a physical collection of treasured objects.

 

Thanks.

 

JH

[Bird]

I would unframe the art, marking which frame goes with which piece of course. Store the frames with the furniture and store the art separately per #4.

 

Have a blast on your adventure (Life...buy the ticket and take the ride!) and be safe.

 

 

 

 

[Terry Doyle]

I'd be wary about shipping art overseas as you're likely to be hit with host country taxes (plus face the risk, no matter how small, of damage or loss). Personally, I'd remove everything from frames and store in a safe (and insured) local location.

[AKA Rick]

If it's an option, take the 15 pieces, package them in individual boxes padded, as if you'd ship them out, for safe storage, then identify a friend or relative with a home whom you trust to ask them to keep it for you for the year, and if that person is not local in LA, then find out how much it would cost to ship.

 

It also depends on the value of the artwork and the cost of the frames (and complexity if they're simply cheap frames you can take the art in/out of versus it being matted and sealed in the back) to figure out if you're better off removing the art from the frames, and if they're standard original comic art, 11 x 17 size and flat, that when all said and done, could be compressed to an 11" x 17" x 1" size for storage or the option of taking the artwork with you or then storing it with someone with less of the burden of finding space and holding 15 framed pieces which probably measures 18" x 24" x 45" (figuring each frame with padding is about 3" thick).

 

Or another option is to free yourself from physical obligation, auction (use ComicLink or Heritage or eBay) the pieces off if they're worthy, since it's not really a "firesale" out of distress (the marketplace will take care of the true valuation), and pull your money off the table to then turn your treasure into cash and be done with it. Take photos of the art, you still can appreciate the images and then move onto your adventure stress free with money for a rainy day.

[Eltanin]

If for now, the perspective is only of 1 year, I wouldn't take the art with me. Too much hassle and too expensive. Even if you unframe the art and take it in a portfolio as handluggage, you'll still have to pay expensive custom fees when you arrive in Budapest, and maybe again in 1.5 years when you come back in the US (unless maybe you have proof of purchase in the US for each of your art pieces).

 

When I moved to Italy (from France, so it was a much shorter trip), I initially left my art in the care of my parents. I later brought it with me once I settled properly and it became obvious I would live there for several years.

 

Like Bird, I would unframe the art and store it in a dedicated place.

[vodou]

I cannot imagine you don't have a friend within (present) driving distance that wouldn't hold these for you, for a year or so...in a closet? Safe and out of everybody's way/damaging light. This is the only way to do it imo. From time to time that person could e-mail you an "update" - all is safe/well with your art, giving you further piece of mind. Anything else...fraught with danger and leaving you mentally concerned too.

 

Or just let 'em go per AKA Rick and rebuild upon your return?

 

Understand...living abroad long enough to get acquainted with local customs and people may change your life in ways you cannot imagine today. And you may never care to return or return no longer caring about art or even material possessions (maybe this will not be you, but it's definitely happened many times to many people!) This happened to me and while I still love/collect art, my art appreciation* is much broader and broader yet my overall daily appreciation of First World blessings and conveniences. But these blessings come at a cost. Not just in money but the rush-rush of complex modern semi-anti-social society. I could give it all up any day to return/live and be fine. (But as long as I'm back here paying US-denominated cost of living...gonna hang onto my 'retirement plan'!)

 

Just my thoughts, that others hadn't already expressed...

 

*Meaning I no longer "need" to own everything I love. And hardly anything I just like. All good if treasures (imo) are in somebody else's collection or a museum. Let them store, insure, and care for it!

[spider9698]

I would chose a close friend first. If not an option, art storage facilities would be my backup.

 

[Jesusjon]

Thanks for the feedback so far all. I found an art storage location that also allows antique furniture to be stored so I am keeping everything together. The rest of my furniture I'm parting with.

 

As much as I like some of my friends I don't want to burden them with the responsibility of holding onto valuable pieces of art. I can only imagine if "something" were to happen its an easy way to cause stress in the friendship.

 

Maybe in a year or two I would be able to conceive of selling more but for right now I couldn't do it. If the move became (semi) permanent I would just find a way to ship everything over.

 

I have to come back to the US from time to time so maybe the Cartoon Art Museum will find a new home in a few months and can display the art after that...