Art Handling - User contributions [en-gb]

The Team

2026-03-11T13:59:12Z

Lmarlborough:

== History of the Department ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department officially came into being on the 31st of August 1992. As the newly recruited head of team I had started two weeks earlier on the 17th in order to gain some idea of how things operated at the gallery and meet some of the many members of staff we would be working with in the coming years. The team was set up by Patricia Goddard a conservator who the gallery had hired as their picture movements officer roughly three years earlier.

As the picture movements officer Trish Goddard oversaw all the gallery’s picture movements which were carried out by a team of the gallery’s security personnel known collectively as the special working party. They were handpicked by their head of team whose name was Peter Brett. Peter had been doing the job for 26 years and was close to retirement. He had a large practical knowledge of the collection and could tell you where most of the pictures were at any given time without having access to TMS or any of the systems we have in place today. Although the special working party were capable of carry out the work they did with supervision, because they were officially part of the security department there were often conflicts of interest and the personnel who Peter would choose were taught on the job with no previous art handling experience. This was not an ideal situation, given the quality and prestige of The National Gallery’s collection.

As the gallery was moving towards mounting more temporary exhibitions with the opening of the Sainsbury wing a year earlier Trish felt that what was needed urgently was a team of experienced art handlers who would be dedicated to the care of the gallery’s collection and could be relied on to get the work done when it was required and without having to juggle it with their security duties. It took her and the head of exhibitions (Michael Wilson) two years to convince the gallery they needed a dedicated team, and this was to be the beginning of a new chapter in how the gallery would manage the movement of its pictures and loans to and from the collection.

My first two weeks at the gallery went by in a whirlwind of activity. I worked with Peter, his supervisor (Colin Lyonette) and of course the special working party who were made up of a core team which depending on the day and the jobs would be supplemented with other members of the security department who would be called in to assist when needed. Out of this core team there were four who had successfully interviewed for the new department that was about to be launched. They were John Thompson, Ray Butcher, Nigel Stevens and Stewart Wilson. John, Ray and Nigel had all worked for the security department as warders for years but had become tried and tested members of Peter’s core team so had done a lot of work with the special working party. Stewart had joined the gallery just over a year earlier as a warder but on the condition that he would be able to work with the special working party. He was a lot younger than the others and was a practising artist in his spare time. He knew the new department was in the process of being developed and joined the gallery with a view to gaining a place in there when it was finally formed.

On the morning of the 31st of August, I went to collect the new team members from the waiting room by the Wilkins entrance. The new arrivals were Mark Slattery, Matthew Thompson and Dominic Moore. Mark and Matthew had come from art transport and service companies (as had I) and Dominic came from working over at the South Bank Centre. It was an understatement to say this was quite a change for all us moving to an institution like The National Gallery. Everything was a great deal more regimented and systems were in place for most of the things we did.

Over the first year as we gained confidence and became conversant with what we were expected to do we were able to start making changes to the way we operated. There were many archaic practises and pieces of equipment in place which needed updating. We added drawers and upgraded the two old wooden picture trolleys which seemed to have been in use since the 50’s or 60’s possibly even earlier than that. We got rid of slot head screws which seemed to be the gold standard when the rest of the world had moved over to cross headed screws decades before. We bought cordless drill drivers and made up new skates to replace the old piano wheels (which were all the team had available up till then.)

We were very fortunate in that Trish was keen to see us develop our roll and turn the art handling department into a world class unit. Looking back from my vantage point today I believe that vision has been realized beyond anything we could have imagined back at the beginning and continues to be improved on constantly. We have gone from a gallery where all work at height was done off tall apex ladders which would make any health and safety officer shudder to Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPS).

We have developed and had manufactured a range of new adjustable picture trolleys to help us move pictures and make their installation simpler and safer along with a case roller to make the packing and unpacking of paintings safer and easier. We have also redesigned and changed most of the hanging hardware the gallery uses and are continuing to innovate and improve the systems we have in place. It is exciting to see how much we have changed and improved our equipment and methods of working over the years. As we look to the future it is safe to say that we will not be stopping the designing and innovating that characterises this department any time soon.

Danny Metcalf, Senior Technician

[[File:SpecialWorkingParty.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Organisational Chart ==
[[File:AH Organisational Chart March 26.jpg|left|500x500px]]
 

== Current Roles ==

The art handling team at The National Gallery has gone through a number of structural changes throughout its 30-year history, the most recent of which included an expansion of the technician resource.

The team complement of the art handling department had remained relatively stable for most of its history, established at between 9 and 10 technicians plus the head of department on the department’s formation in 1992. This figure decreased slightly from 2000 onwards but since 2015 the volume and ambition of the gallery, particularly in the field of exhibitions and site reconstruction, has expanded enormously. This has led to a corresponding need to increase our resources and reappraise our approach in the face of this expansion.

The team complement is now 14 with 12 dedicated technicians plus an administrator role and the head of department. The technician structure is now split into three sections consisting of 3 senior technicians, 4 team supervisors and 5 art handlers.

The following is a description each role and its primary function, the tasks mentioned being by no means exclusive.

'''Senior Technician'''

As the volume and complexity of our work has increased over the years, we have adopted a project-based approach to our schedule to organise ourselves. The aim of the department is to have enough resources and team management capacity to be able to deliver two major projects plus our normal collection management work in any given week. Crucial to this is the role of the senior technician. As projects are assigned to each senior technician. Their role is to accept the responsibility of all necessary logistical, communication and team functions that will deliver the project from the point of view of art handling. This includes liaising with the head of department, keeping them informed of the progress of the project and seeking assistance where necessary.

A key element is the management of the main team, assessing and securing the resources necessary and then instructing the team in their actions. As part of team management, the senior technician will appoint a team supervisor as their deputy on each of the projects they have responsibility for.

National Gallery senior technicians are required to have extensive and expert knowledge and experience of the role of art handling. This will include an accumulation of technical knowledge concerning the gallery collection itself. The role of the senior being the primary source of art handling expertise when representing the gallery in any area.

In addition, senior technicians are expected to innovate both in the area of process and equipment. This will also involve managing projects begun by other members of the team including evaluating the project viability and designing a road map to see through to completion.

'''Team Supervisor'''

The National Gallery team supervisor works closely with the senior technician on any project as defined by the head of department and the senior technician. The team supervisor will work directly with the main technician complement of the team, supervising them in the tasks assigned to the department. This involves active participation in all activities, ensuring the standards required of the team are met and that each technician has the necessary support to fulfil their role.

The team supervisor will also deputise for any senior technician on a temporary basis according to the needs of a particular project. This includes representing the senior technician at planning meetings as well as accepting the responsibilities of the senior technician at major events such as installations.

The role requires extensive practical experience and the team supervisor is expected to have developed significant knowledge and expertise within the area of art handling.

In addition, the team supervisor is expected to be able to contribute to any technical discussion including innovating on technical solutions. The team supervisor is also expected to instigate or accept leadership of some projects, referring to the senior technician for guidance where necessary.

'''Art Handler'''

The role of an art handler at The National Gallery covers all practical considerations within the area of art handling. This includes activity around the collection, any exhibition on site and the correct handling and preparation of any work of art within the confines of The National Gallery site. In addition, National Gallery art handlers frequently work as couriers for the gallery, representing all gallery concerns when loaning elements of the collection to our partners and allied institutions.

Art Handlers are expected to already have developed a strong knowledge of the principles of art handling before they join the team at the gallery. This will include extensive experience within the field and the acquiring of excellent practical skills associated with the work.

Art handling teams rely on strong communication and teamwork attributes and each National Gallery art handler is expected to be a willing team member, adaptable to the many different scenarios they may experience within the discipline.

Though art handlers do not ordinarily lead on projects, all team members are expected to be capable of innovation and independence of thought dedicated to the solution of a problem. Each art handler will normally be assigned a senior technician as their line manager and will be prepared to accept instructions from any member of the management team.

'''Coordinator'''

The department administrator is a critical role that works closely with both the head of department and the senior technicians in all planning concerns regarding the activity of the team. The administrator is the main point of contact for all other gallery departments wishing to engage the art handling team or to share information.

The administrator will commonly make initial decisions on the viability of daily tasks of the team (for example the loans program) before working with the head to finalise the long-term schedule. They will act as support for each team project, working closely with a senior technician on all logistical matters to realise the goals of the department. All daily admin functions of the department fall within the remit of the administrator. This includes invoicing and budgeting, worksheet production, all external communication (including GDPR management) and the critical role of location recording and database management (from the perspective of art handling) of the collection.

The administrator is also the manager of the department’s wiki page, formulated to ensure the history and knowledge of the department is recorded and to promote high standards of practice within art handling.

'''Head of Department'''

The head of department takes responsibility for all aspects of the team’s performance. The main role of the head is to ensure the team performs its function within the principals and priorities as defined by the main mission of The National Gallery. This will include taking overall responsibility for all strategic and tactical concerns within the context of the department.

The head will have a strong working relationship with all members of the department, but this is particularly focused on the senior technicians and the department administrator.

The head will represent the department within the context of the management of the gallery including at external meetings or presentations. The department sits within the collection directorate and is considered an arm of preventative conservation, being closely associated with the gallery’s conservation department. The Head’s role in this area is to ensure the department functions within the principles of preventative conservation which should inform each part of the department’s activity.

The head works closely with the department administrator to plan both the daily and long-term work of the team. The head is also expected to have extensive experience and knowledge of all art handling areas and will on occasion lead or participate in significant activity.

The head will also innovate and promote improvements in all areas concerning the department. This may include equipment development, process design or team structure and requirements, both designing and implementing changes and improvements wherever necessary.

== A Day in the Life ... ==

As of writing, my time working behind the scenes in the art industry stands at approximately 7 years. During that time, I've had the privilege to explore a few distinct faces of the industry. The bulk of my experience lies in the private sector, having spent several years at art shipping / logistics companies. This experience saw me installing exhibitions at commercial galleries / art fairs, fabricating crates for shipping, and installing in private residences to name a few.

Working in the private sector can be incredibly fast paced, exciting and stressful. Often your own ingenuity and that of your colleagues is all you can rely on, as equipment and materials are often limited or lacking. As stimulating as that can be, it often left me feeling dissatisfied with the motivations of the individuals and companies I worked for.

The opportunity to work for a publicly funded institution like The National Gallery was something I couldn’t pass up.

Adapting to the processes and methods of the art handling department at The National Gallery required some un-learning and adjustment on my part. The department is well established and as a result has its own well-established idiosyncrasies. The department's equipment has been designed in-house and is unique to the Gallery. Equally so, the hardware art handling uses, has also been designed in-house by the various stalwarts of the department. Each new piece of equipment is designed or adapted out of necessity to solve a problem and is in a constant state of evolution and review to ensure it better fits its required use.

My colleagues and I are invited to engage in this conversation constantly which is flattering and refreshing. Before now I hadn’t worked in such a collegiate and collaborative environment.

Working at The National Gallery is almost the antithesis of my experience as a technician. The National Gallery is custodian to some 2,300 works and has been building its collection for nearly 200 years. Being a part of that, however small is incredibly humbling and I’m incredibly happy that I’ve found myself here.

Sam Hallett, Art Handler

== Profiles of Staff: Present and Past ==

 

[[File:AHTeamPortrait.jpg|500px|left]]

 

Team (current and former); left to right:
Simon Wallis, Dan Haddock, Sam Hallet, Alex Hinks,
 Mark Slattery, Patrick O'Sullivan, (seated back) Jamie Bell, Kasper Pincis, Tom Hemming
 (seated front) Alan Brooks, James Lindley, Danny Metcalf and Dave Morgan

'''Ray Butcher''' | Art Handler 1988 - 2012

The pathway into professional art handling in museums is often highly varied. Among the traits that are indispensable are an ability to use tools safely and effectively, and an understanding of the materials that are commonly used in the production of paintings, frames and mounts. With these essential abilities at Ray’s disposal, he was recruited onto the art handling team twelve months after joining the Gallery in 1987. He had just moved to London with his family from North Wales where he had been living and working. The drive to London was all the more dramatic due to the effects of the severe storm that hit the country the night before.

He was first hired as a room warder, guarding the paintings during opening times. He soon came to attention of Peter Brett, then head art handler. Back then the technicians were known as the Working Party. Ray says, ‘Given my background working with tools and my hands all my working life, he gave me a trial picture handling’. Members of the Working Party were recruited from the corps of warders and were required to continue working as such when not engaged in art handling duties, particularly on Sundays. He continues, ‘It went well for me and I took to it like a duck to water. In short, I loved it’.

Ray had served a trade apprenticeship in auto repair and made a good living repairing car bodies. It is a complex area requiring multiple skills and abilities from welding to paint spraying. Whilst welding generally isn’t a requirement for handling the collection, an ability to solve technical and mechanical problems certainly is. Ray came up with a number of innovations which served the needs of the department and was always keen to build and adapt equipment as necessary.

Along with technical prowess, personal skills are another necessary trait. Art handlers are frequently deployed to sites elsewhere where they perform a variety of duties normally associated with care of our collection. Representing the gallery in a professional capacity is another responsibility we demand of our team. Ray’s character lent itself very well to this diverse role.

He says, ‘In those days the new occupants of number 10 and 11 Downing St, were able to borrow paintings from the Gallery’s secondary collection. These were normally chosen by the spouse of the Prime Minister or Chancellor. That in turn afforded me the opportunity of visiting number 10 twice and number 11 once to courier paintings back after a change of personnel’.

Ray’s time at the gallery dates from before the Sainsbury Wing opened. He was one of the founding members of the modern art handling department, when the gallery changed from recruiting from the security team and established art handling as a specialism. During his time on the team he became a supervisor, personally mentoring and training newly appointed staff.

Ray retired from the gallery in 2012 and moved away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city Earls Court to a quieter life by the Kent coast.

Mark Slattery, Senior Technician

File:AH Organisational Chart March 26.jpg

2026-03-11T13:55:44Z

Lmarlborough:

The Team

2026-03-10T15:05:29Z

Lmarlborough:

== History of the Department ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department officially came into being on the 31st of August 1992. As the newly recruited head of team I had started two weeks earlier on the 17th in order to gain some idea of how things operated at the gallery and meet some of the many members of staff we would be working with in the coming years. The team was set up by Patricia Goddard a conservator who the gallery had hired as their picture movements officer roughly three years earlier.

As the picture movements officer Trish Goddard oversaw all the gallery’s picture movements which were carried out by a team of the gallery’s security personnel known collectively as the special working party. They were handpicked by their head of team whose name was Peter Brett. Peter had been doing the job for 26 years and was close to retirement. He had a large practical knowledge of the collection and could tell you where most of the pictures were at any given time without having access to TMS or any of the systems we have in place today. Although the special working party were capable of carry out the work they did with supervision, because they were officially part of the security department there were often conflicts of interest and the personnel who Peter would choose were taught on the job with no previous art handling experience. This was not an ideal situation, given the quality and prestige of The National Gallery’s collection.

As the gallery was moving towards mounting more temporary exhibitions with the opening of the Sainsbury wing a year earlier Trish felt that what was needed urgently was a team of experienced art handlers who would be dedicated to the care of the gallery’s collection and could be relied on to get the work done when it was required and without having to juggle it with their security duties. It took her and the head of exhibitions (Michael Wilson) two years to convince the gallery they needed a dedicated team, and this was to be the beginning of a new chapter in how the gallery would manage the movement of its pictures and loans to and from the collection.

My first two weeks at the gallery went by in a whirlwind of activity. I worked with Peter, his supervisor (Colin Lyonette) and of course the special working party who were made up of a core team which depending on the day and the jobs would be supplemented with other members of the security department who would be called in to assist when needed. Out of this core team there were four who had successfully interviewed for the new department that was about to be launched. They were John Thompson, Ray Butcher, Nigel Stevens and Stewart Wilson. John, Ray and Nigel had all worked for the security department as warders for years but had become tried and tested members of Peter’s core team so had done a lot of work with the special working party. Stewart had joined the gallery just over a year earlier as a warder but on the condition that he would be able to work with the special working party. He was a lot younger than the others and was a practising artist in his spare time. He knew the new department was in the process of being developed and joined the gallery with a view to gaining a place in there when it was finally formed.

On the morning of the 31st of August, I went to collect the new team members from the waiting room by the Wilkins entrance. The new arrivals were Mark Slattery, Matthew Thompson and Dominic Moore. Mark and Matthew had come from art transport and service companies (as had I) and Dominic came from working over at the South Bank Centre. It was an understatement to say this was quite a change for all us moving to an institution like The National Gallery. Everything was a great deal more regimented and systems were in place for most of the things we did.

Over the first year as we gained confidence and became conversant with what we were expected to do we were able to start making changes to the way we operated. There were many archaic practises and pieces of equipment in place which needed updating. We added drawers and upgraded the two old wooden picture trolleys which seemed to have been in use since the 50’s or 60’s possibly even earlier than that. We got rid of slot head screws which seemed to be the gold standard when the rest of the world had moved over to cross headed screws decades before. We bought cordless drill drivers and made up new skates to replace the old piano wheels (which were all the team had available up till then.)

We were very fortunate in that Trish was keen to see us develop our roll and turn the art handling department into a world class unit. Looking back from my vantage point today I believe that vision has been realized beyond anything we could have imagined back at the beginning and continues to be improved on constantly. We have gone from a gallery where all work at height was done off tall apex ladders which would make any health and safety officer shudder to Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPS).

We have developed and had manufactured a range of new adjustable picture trolleys to help us move pictures and make their installation simpler and safer along with a case roller to make the packing and unpacking of paintings safer and easier. We have also redesigned and changed most of the hanging hardware the gallery uses and are continuing to innovate and improve the systems we have in place. It is exciting to see how much we have changed and improved our equipment and methods of working over the years. As we look to the future it is safe to say that we will not be stopping the designing and innovating that characterises this department any time soon.

Danny Metcalf, Senior Technician

[[File:SpecialWorkingParty.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Organisational Chart ==

[[File:AH_Organisational_Chart_Feb_23.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Current Roles ==

The art handling team at The National Gallery has gone through a number of structural changes throughout its 30-year history, the most recent of which included an expansion of the technician resource.

The team complement of the art handling department had remained relatively stable for most of its history, established at between 9 and 10 technicians plus the head of department on the department’s formation in 1992. This figure decreased slightly from 2000 onwards but since 2015 the volume and ambition of the gallery, particularly in the field of exhibitions and site reconstruction, has expanded enormously. This has led to a corresponding need to increase our resources and reappraise our approach in the face of this expansion.

The team complement is now 14 with 12 dedicated technicians plus an administrator role and the head of department. The technician structure is now split into three sections consisting of 3 senior technicians, 4 team supervisors and 5 art handlers.

The following is a description each role and its primary function, the tasks mentioned being by no means exclusive.

'''Senior Technician'''

As the volume and complexity of our work has increased over the years, we have adopted a project-based approach to our schedule to organise ourselves. The aim of the department is to have enough resources and team management capacity to be able to deliver two major projects plus our normal collection management work in any given week. Crucial to this is the role of the senior technician. As projects are assigned to each senior technician. Their role is to accept the responsibility of all necessary logistical, communication and team functions that will deliver the project from the point of view of art handling. This includes liaising with the head of department, keeping them informed of the progress of the project and seeking assistance where necessary.

A key element is the management of the main team, assessing and securing the resources necessary and then instructing the team in their actions. As part of team management, the senior technician will appoint a team supervisor as their deputy on each of the projects they have responsibility for.

National Gallery senior technicians are required to have extensive and expert knowledge and experience of the role of art handling. This will include an accumulation of technical knowledge concerning the gallery collection itself. The role of the senior being the primary source of art handling expertise when representing the gallery in any area.

In addition, senior technicians are expected to innovate both in the area of process and equipment. This will also involve managing projects begun by other members of the team including evaluating the project viability and designing a road map to see through to completion.

'''Team Supervisor'''

The National Gallery team supervisor works closely with the senior technician on any project as defined by the head of department and the senior technician. The team supervisor will work directly with the main technician complement of the team, supervising them in the tasks assigned to the department. This involves active participation in all activities, ensuring the standards required of the team are met and that each technician has the necessary support to fulfil their role.

The team supervisor will also deputise for any senior technician on a temporary basis according to the needs of a particular project. This includes representing the senior technician at planning meetings as well as accepting the responsibilities of the senior technician at major events such as installations.

The role requires extensive practical experience and the team supervisor is expected to have developed significant knowledge and expertise within the area of art handling.

In addition, the team supervisor is expected to be able to contribute to any technical discussion including innovating on technical solutions. The team supervisor is also expected to instigate or accept leadership of some projects, referring to the senior technician for guidance where necessary.

'''Art Handler'''

The role of an art handler at The National Gallery covers all practical considerations within the area of art handling. This includes activity around the collection, any exhibition on site and the correct handling and preparation of any work of art within the confines of The National Gallery site. In addition, National Gallery art handlers frequently work as couriers for the gallery, representing all gallery concerns when loaning elements of the collection to our partners and allied institutions.

Art Handlers are expected to already have developed a strong knowledge of the principles of art handling before they join the team at the gallery. This will include extensive experience within the field and the acquiring of excellent practical skills associated with the work.

Art handling teams rely on strong communication and teamwork attributes and each National Gallery art handler is expected to be a willing team member, adaptable to the many different scenarios they may experience within the discipline.

Though art handlers do not ordinarily lead on projects, all team members are expected to be capable of innovation and independence of thought dedicated to the solution of a problem. Each art handler will normally be assigned a senior technician as their line manager and will be prepared to accept instructions from any member of the management team.

'''Coordinator'''

The department administrator is a critical role that works closely with both the head of department and the senior technicians in all planning concerns regarding the activity of the team. The administrator is the main point of contact for all other gallery departments wishing to engage the art handling team or to share information.

The administrator will commonly make initial decisions on the viability of daily tasks of the team (for example the loans program) before working with the head to finalise the long-term schedule. They will act as support for each team project, working closely with a senior technician on all logistical matters to realise the goals of the department. All daily admin functions of the department fall within the remit of the administrator. This includes invoicing and budgeting, worksheet production, all external communication (including GDPR management) and the critical role of location recording and database management (from the perspective of art handling) of the collection.

The administrator is also the manager of the department’s wiki page, formulated to ensure the history and knowledge of the department is recorded and to promote high standards of practice within art handling.

'''Head of Department'''

The head of department takes responsibility for all aspects of the team’s performance. The main role of the head is to ensure the team performs its function within the principals and priorities as defined by the main mission of The National Gallery. This will include taking overall responsibility for all strategic and tactical concerns within the context of the department.

The head will have a strong working relationship with all members of the department, but this is particularly focused on the senior technicians and the department administrator.

The head will represent the department within the context of the management of the gallery including at external meetings or presentations. The department sits within the collection directorate and is considered an arm of preventative conservation, being closely associated with the gallery’s conservation department. The Head’s role in this area is to ensure the department functions within the principles of preventative conservation which should inform each part of the department’s activity.

The head works closely with the department administrator to plan both the daily and long-term work of the team. The head is also expected to have extensive experience and knowledge of all art handling areas and will on occasion lead or participate in significant activity.

The head will also innovate and promote improvements in all areas concerning the department. This may include equipment development, process design or team structure and requirements, both designing and implementing changes and improvements wherever necessary.

== A Day in the Life ... ==

As of writing, my time working behind the scenes in the art industry stands at approximately 7 years. During that time, I've had the privilege to explore a few distinct faces of the industry. The bulk of my experience lies in the private sector, having spent several years at art shipping / logistics companies. This experience saw me installing exhibitions at commercial galleries / art fairs, fabricating crates for shipping, and installing in private residences to name a few.

Working in the private sector can be incredibly fast paced, exciting and stressful. Often your own ingenuity and that of your colleagues is all you can rely on, as equipment and materials are often limited or lacking. As stimulating as that can be, it often left me feeling dissatisfied with the motivations of the individuals and companies I worked for.

The opportunity to work for a publicly funded institution like The National Gallery was something I couldn’t pass up.

Adapting to the processes and methods of the art handling department at The National Gallery required some un-learning and adjustment on my part. The department is well established and as a result has its own well-established idiosyncrasies. The department's equipment has been designed in-house and is unique to the Gallery. Equally so, the hardware art handling uses, has also been designed in-house by the various stalwarts of the department. Each new piece of equipment is designed or adapted out of necessity to solve a problem and is in a constant state of evolution and review to ensure it better fits its required use.

My colleagues and I are invited to engage in this conversation constantly which is flattering and refreshing. Before now I hadn’t worked in such a collegiate and collaborative environment.

Working at The National Gallery is almost the antithesis of my experience as a technician. The National Gallery is custodian to some 2,300 works and has been building its collection for nearly 200 years. Being a part of that, however small is incredibly humbling and I’m incredibly happy that I’ve found myself here.

Sam Hallett, Art Handler

== Profiles of Staff: Present and Past ==

 

[[File:AHTeamPortrait.jpg|500px|left]]

 

Team (current and former); left to right:
Simon Wallis, Dan Haddock, Sam Hallet, Alex Hinks,
 Mark Slattery, Patrick O'Sullivan, (seated back) Jamie Bell, Kasper Pincis, Tom Hemming
 (seated front) Alan Brooks, James Lindley, Danny Metcalf and Dave Morgan

'''Ray Butcher''' | Art Handler 1988 - 2012

The pathway into professional art handling in museums is often highly varied. Among the traits that are indispensable are an ability to use tools safely and effectively, and an understanding of the materials that are commonly used in the production of paintings, frames and mounts. With these essential abilities at Ray’s disposal, he was recruited onto the art handling team twelve months after joining the Gallery in 1987. He had just moved to London with his family from North Wales where he had been living and working. The drive to London was all the more dramatic due to the effects of the severe storm that hit the country the night before.

He was first hired as a room warder, guarding the paintings during opening times. He soon came to attention of Peter Brett, then head art handler. Back then the technicians were known as the Working Party. Ray says, ‘Given my background working with tools and my hands all my working life, he gave me a trial picture handling’. Members of the Working Party were recruited from the corps of warders and were required to continue working as such when not engaged in art handling duties, particularly on Sundays. He continues, ‘It went well for me and I took to it like a duck to water. In short, I loved it’.

Ray had served a trade apprenticeship in auto repair and made a good living repairing car bodies. It is a complex area requiring multiple skills and abilities from welding to paint spraying. Whilst welding generally isn’t a requirement for handling the collection, an ability to solve technical and mechanical problems certainly is. Ray came up with a number of innovations which served the needs of the department and was always keen to build and adapt equipment as necessary.

Along with technical prowess, personal skills are another necessary trait. Art handlers are frequently deployed to sites elsewhere where they perform a variety of duties normally associated with care of our collection. Representing the gallery in a professional capacity is another responsibility we demand of our team. Ray’s character lent itself very well to this diverse role.

He says, ‘In those days the new occupants of number 10 and 11 Downing St, were able to borrow paintings from the Gallery’s secondary collection. These were normally chosen by the spouse of the Prime Minister or Chancellor. That in turn afforded me the opportunity of visiting number 10 twice and number 11 once to courier paintings back after a change of personnel’.

Ray’s time at the gallery dates from before the Sainsbury Wing opened. He was one of the founding members of the modern art handling department, when the gallery changed from recruiting from the security team and established art handling as a specialism. During his time on the team he became a supervisor, personally mentoring and training newly appointed staff.

Ray retired from the gallery in 2012 and moved away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city Earls Court to a quieter life by the Kent coast.

Mark Slattery, Senior Technician

Administration Processes

2026-03-10T15:04:50Z

Lmarlborough:

As art handling administrator I am the first point of contact for the department, receiving requests, enquiries and information from across the gallery.

'''Requests'''

Requests come from a variety of departments including conservation, curatorial, framing, photographic and registrars and include activity across loans, exhibitions and acquisitions. 

A request might be as simple as moving a small painting from storage to the photographic studio or as complex as re-hanging an entire wing of the gallery.

At this early stage I assess the request and I look at where it might fit into our schedule. I have to consider a number of factors including conflicting demands, complexity, duration, as well as staffing levels.

'''Calendar'''

Our working schedule takes the form of a shared Outlook calendar with appointments which change rapidly. We assign certain colours to different types of tasks. Packs and unpack, for instance are turquoise. Whereas hang or rehangs for works going on or returning from loan are purple.

I review the schedule for the weeks and months ahead with the head of department and making adjustments and liaising with colleagues from the relevant department(s).

'''Forward Plan'''

Sitting above our schedule is a forward plan which takes a broader perspective on the department and includes exhibition installation, courier trips and staff holidays.

'''The Museum System (TMS)'''

Closer to the time that the task is carried out, I create a worksheet using The Museum System (TMS) which is our collections database. Details of the unique worksheet number is added to the Outlook appointment along with other details relevant to that job. Worksheets reports are generated and then printed on a daily-basis. This provides the team with the information they require to carry out the task. A signed worksheet is returned to me and I update TMS with any picture movements. For example, the NG6479 The Gare St-Lazare by Claude Monet might be removed for display for one day and I will update the database with this information. This data is fed live to the gallery website.

'''Loans and Exhibitions'''

I am a central to the loan programme which is the trigger for removing and rehanging works as well as packing and unpacking them. This is covered in the The Collection section under Loan Preparation

I also work on our exhibition programme which currently sits at approximately 8 openings per year. I support the senior technician and deputy assigned to the exhibition. I attend technical planning meetings and work closely with several key departments including exhibition registrars, conservation, creative, buildings and security. 

'''Systems, Security and Finance'''

Over the past 12 – 18 months the gallery has begun a shift to more online systems. This now means the documents I work with on a daily-basis are stored in shared drives and this makes work between colleagues and departments easier and more efficient. Only recently in collaboration with the collection registrars I have developed a master document for all information relating to loans to and from the collection, as well as touring exhibitions; both nationally and internationally.

In addition to these areas of work I also carry out a number of other tasks. This includes coordinating monthly security checks of works in store, monitoring the department budget, as well as raising POs and processing invoices, ordering supplies and managing the office systems and structures.  

'''Salvage Committee'''

Our head of department chairs the salvage committee and I organise quarterly meetings, take and distribute minutes and manage processes related to this area of incident management.

'''Data Protection and GDPR'''

I have the additional responsibility of being the GDPR data champion for our department. I implemented new systems and protocols in line with the legislation change in May 2018 and continue to align our data activities with current law and gallery policy.

Louise Marlborough, Coordinator

Art Handling Manual

2023-05-22T11:32:39Z

Lmarlborough: /* Highlighted Project */

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department exists to provide the necessary technical support to the display of this major collection. We work closely with all the gallery’s departments but have a particularly strong relationship with conservation, curatorial, collections registrars, exhibitions, framing and imaging. Our role is to help realise the goals of the gallery by taking responsibility for all aspects of installation, transportation, preparation, storage and manual handling of the collection at the gallery.

In carrying out our work, our remit is to follow the highest standard of care for the collection. As a principal, the department is considered as an arm of conservation and our activity is informed by all current conservation recommendations. Our primary aim is to successfully carry out our tasks by first fully considering the reduction or elimination of risk to the objects in our care.

To organise our work, we have created a system of classification. This has allowed us to develop processes and procedures that can be measured and assessed. As part of this approach, we have also developed our own specialised equipment and hanging systems unique to The National Gallery. Within the department, we continue to look to improve our methods and take a keen interest in the work of other teams within our field, with the intention of informing our own ideas.

We also feel it is our responsibility to promote the work of art handling outside of our environment. This includes cultivating contacts within the area by exchanging ideas and developing training opportunities that we can both participate in and deliver.

The art handling department occupies a significant, practical role within the life of The National Gallery. By developing and promoting an environment of care and innovation within our discipline, we aim to ensure the conservation and preservation of the national’s collection, allowing it to continue to be enjoyed as intended.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

== Highlighted Project ==

Installation of NG1 The Raising of Lazarus by Sebastiano del Piombo
 incorporating designs by Michelangelo in Gallery 32

[[File:NG1moveFeb2023.mp4|600px|left]]

 

== [[The Team|The Team]] ==
This opening category include history of the department, current job descriptions, organisation chart and then profile of staff; past and present

== [[The Collection|The Collection]] ==
This category describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated / bespoke examples (NG6337 Leonardo Cartoon) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== [[Exhibitions|Exhibitions]] ==

== [[Administration Processes|Administration Processes]] ==
This category describes; the way we receive requests, the art handling calendar, forward plan, TMS, loans, exhibitions, salvage committee and GDPR.

== [[Health and Safety|Health and Safety]] ==
This category deals with the relevant legislation applying to the Department, examples of documentation such as risk assessments and our training responsibilities. The chapter also gives a summary of the changes in our working practices as a direct result of Health and Safety Legislation.

== [[Business Continuity and Salvage|Business Continuity and Salvage]] ==
This category will include our role as a department, our training programs equipment etc. possible include some action examples (water ingress)

File:NG1moveFeb2023.mp4

2023-05-22T11:29:07Z

Lmarlborough:

Art Handling Manual

2023-04-27T14:33:29Z

Lmarlborough: /* Highlighted Project */

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department exists to provide the necessary technical support to the display of this major collection. We work closely with all the gallery’s departments but have a particularly strong relationship with conservation, curatorial, collections registrars, exhibitions, framing and imaging. Our role is to help realise the goals of the gallery by taking responsibility for all aspects of installation, transportation, preparation, storage and manual handling of the collection at the gallery.

In carrying out our work, our remit is to follow the highest standard of care for the collection. As a principal, the department is considered as an arm of conservation and our activity is informed by all current conservation recommendations. Our primary aim is to successfully carry out our tasks by first fully considering the reduction or elimination of risk to the objects in our care.

To organise our work, we have created a system of classification. This has allowed us to develop processes and procedures that can be measured and assessed. As part of this approach, we have also developed our own specialised equipment and hanging systems unique to The National Gallery. Within the department, we continue to look to improve our methods and take a keen interest in the work of other teams within our field, with the intention of informing our own ideas.

We also feel it is our responsibility to promote the work of art handling outside of our environment. This includes cultivating contacts within the area by exchanging ideas and developing training opportunities that we can both participate in and deliver.

The art handling department occupies a significant, practical role within the life of The National Gallery. By developing and promoting an environment of care and innovation within our discipline, we aim to ensure the conservation and preservation of the national’s collection, allowing it to continue to be enjoyed as intended.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

== Highlighted Project ==

Installation of NG564 The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Scenes of the Nativity
 and the Lives of the Saints by Margarito d'Arezzo in Gallery 51

[[File:Margarito_dArezzo.mp4|600px|left]]

 

== [[The Team|The Team]] ==
This opening category include history of the department, current job descriptions, organisation chart and then profile of staff; past and present

== [[The Collection|The Collection]] ==
This category describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated / bespoke examples (NG6337 Leonardo Cartoon) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== [[Exhibitions|Exhibitions]] ==

== [[Administration Processes|Administration Processes]] ==
This category describes; the way we receive requests, the art handling calendar, forward plan, TMS, loans, exhibitions, salvage committee and GDPR.

== [[Health and Safety|Health and Safety]] ==
This category deals with the relevant legislation applying to the Department, examples of documentation such as risk assessments and our training responsibilities. The chapter also gives a summary of the changes in our working practices as a direct result of Health and Safety Legislation.

== [[Business Continuity and Salvage|Business Continuity and Salvage]] ==
This category will include our role as a department, our training programs equipment etc. possible include some action examples (water ingress)

Art Handling Manual

2023-04-27T14:28:05Z

Lmarlborough: /* Highlighted Project */

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department exists to provide the necessary technical support to the display of this major collection. We work closely with all the gallery’s departments but have a particularly strong relationship with conservation, curatorial, collections registrars, exhibitions, framing and imaging. Our role is to help realise the goals of the gallery by taking responsibility for all aspects of installation, transportation, preparation, storage and manual handling of the collection at the gallery.

In carrying out our work, our remit is to follow the highest standard of care for the collection. As a principal, the department is considered as an arm of conservation and our activity is informed by all current conservation recommendations. Our primary aim is to successfully carry out our tasks by first fully considering the reduction or elimination of risk to the objects in our care.

To organise our work, we have created a system of classification. This has allowed us to develop processes and procedures that can be measured and assessed. As part of this approach, we have also developed our own specialised equipment and hanging systems unique to The National Gallery. Within the department, we continue to look to improve our methods and take a keen interest in the work of other teams within our field, with the intention of informing our own ideas.

We also feel it is our responsibility to promote the work of art handling outside of our environment. This includes cultivating contacts within the area by exchanging ideas and developing training opportunities that we can both participate in and deliver.

The art handling department occupies a significant, practical role within the life of The National Gallery. By developing and promoting an environment of care and innovation within our discipline, we aim to ensure the conservation and preservation of the national’s collection, allowing it to continue to be enjoyed as intended.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

== Highlighted Project ==

Installation of NG1 The Raising of Lazarus by Sebastiano del Piombo
 incorporating designs by Michelangelo

[[File:NG1toRoom32Feb23.mp4|600px|left]]

Margarito_dArezzo

 

== [[The Team|The Team]] ==
This opening category include history of the department, current job descriptions, organisation chart and then profile of staff; past and present

== [[The Collection|The Collection]] ==
This category describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated / bespoke examples (NG6337 Leonardo Cartoon) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== [[Exhibitions|Exhibitions]] ==

== [[Administration Processes|Administration Processes]] ==
This category describes; the way we receive requests, the art handling calendar, forward plan, TMS, loans, exhibitions, salvage committee and GDPR.

== [[Health and Safety|Health and Safety]] ==
This category deals with the relevant legislation applying to the Department, examples of documentation such as risk assessments and our training responsibilities. The chapter also gives a summary of the changes in our working practices as a direct result of Health and Safety Legislation.

== [[Business Continuity and Salvage|Business Continuity and Salvage]] ==
This category will include our role as a department, our training programs equipment etc. possible include some action examples (water ingress)

The Collection

2023-04-25T15:21:44Z

Lmarlborough:

This section describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated/bespoke examples (NG6337 etc) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s collection of art consists mainly of western European paintings from the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection does include some sculptural objects, but the painting collection is its primary focus. Within this area of paintings are a wide variety of works with differing physical characteristics. These vary from early renaissance frescoes and panels (on a range of wooden supports) to many works on canvas and works on paper.

These works vary enormously in terms of mass and durability. For example, the collection includes very large and complex altarpieces, constructed from large wooden sections that can weigh up to 500kgs, to works on paper such as the Leonardo cartoon which are extremely ephemeral and require specific handling and display solutions. Paradoxically, large works of significant mass are themselves extremely vulnerable to movement by virtue of their structure working against the material they are made of when they are manipulated.

The role of the art handling department is to create safe systems of operations that we can use when moving the collection for any purpose. Any system that we develop needs to be understood by the art handling team as well as being reliable and repeatable. It also needs to follow the best conservation practice as described to us by our conservation team at the gallery.

The need for repeatable systems is due to the volume of moves that are undertaken each year with the collection. On average, around 15,000 moves of art works occur within the site of The National Gallery each year, all undertaken by the art handling team. This covers all aspects of our work, including basic moves throughout the gallery site, thousands of separate installations and preparation of works from the collection when loaned to other museums throughout the world.

Our aim is to create working systems that can safely cope with this volume of work whilst also being measurable. This is very important for the standard of our work as though we do create individual solutions to specific problems, we also need to know that our team is operating within a well understood framework from which we can confidently make decisions about the work in our care.

To facilitate our approach to the collection, we have developed a technical classification system that describes the art handling requirements for each individual object within the collection. This system breaks the collection down into three categories and names each category after a colour, either yellow, blue or silver.

Each of the categories assumes some simple characteristics for each object. Essentially weight and size are the main determining factors, the record of which category a work is placed in can be found on the individual record for each artwork held in the main collection database (TMS) under the art handling section. Within this record further, more detailed information can be included (please refer to the database description for further information).

The use of a largely generic classification system then allows us to design specific handling solutions to each category. In turn, the problems of handling and installing a specific object can be seen within this framework. The nature of the collection at the gallery has meant that such an approach is possible since the movement of large numbers of works that have similar physical characteristics is essentially the same. It also means that specific, individual solutions can be found to unique problems that can be seen within the context of the main framework.

A crucial element to the system is to develop the correct equipment alongside the correct process and approach. The art handling department has a long-standing equipment development program (now more than 20 years old) that designs and has manufactured specific equipment relevant to each of the categories.

It is worth noting that we apply the same or similar approach to our exhibitions where possible, however the requirements of lenders and the type of objects that may be included in our shows means that a more variable response is often necessary (please refer to exhibitions). This though can still be referred to the general principals established by our system. In the following pages we describe the processes and equipment for each of the categories.

[[File:Room32.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Colour Category System ==

Due to the nature of the picture collection at The National Gallery, it is possible to categorise paintings according to the actions necessary for de/installation. This has led us to group works into three categories for this purpose, which are as follows.

Although there are exceptions to these categories, nearly every object in the collection can be group in one of these sections. Our approach to designing installation and transportation solutions is informed by this system.

'''Standard Manual Lift or Yellow Move'''

The yellow move category encompasses the simplest moves we are required to undertake. The category includes all works that can be manually handled over small distances by two art handlers, or can be installed without the need for additional equipment to elevate the painting into position.

The category does not necessarily state the characteristics of the works it includes but generally it refers to paintings weighing under 60kgs. The size of the work is also not such a significant factor as quite large paintings can be included if it is determined they fall within the ease of handling required.

The yellow category contains around 60% of the works within the gallery's collection and will form the majority of moves throughout the year. Using the correct equipment associated with the category (as listed below) multiple moves of paintings can occur simultaneously and this is frequently found to be the case when large gallery hangs occur. Commonly the works within the category are installed using a plate system or The National Gallery gadget system (please refer to installation methods) and additional security measures are also applied at installation.

'''Medium Lift or Silver Move'''

The silver move category covers most of the mid-range installations and moves that we undertake. This category probably accounts for around 20 to 25% of all moves that occur and requires the use of a minimum of three art handlers plus the designated equipment (as described here).

For these moves, we set a limit of 150kgs in weight for the object being moved. Most of the works that fall into this category also tend to be large in area with a major dimension usually exceeding 2 metres.

A lower weight limit is not set as the category considers the physical dimensions of the paintings involved as well as their weight. Often, we find canvas paintings can be light enough to fall within the yellow category but of such dimensions as to create significant problems when manually handling them.

Works within this category are usually transported singularly on stacker trolleys (see equipment). There are a variety of hanging methods employed when installing these works though the most common are supporting brackets and plates or a suspension system (within the National gallery chains are employed). Usually, given the size of the works, standard security is employed when on display.

'''Heavy Lift or Blue Move'''

The Blue move category encompasses the largest and most logistically challenging objects within the National Gallery’s collection.

The most common example of works found in this category are the group of large altarpieces dating from the early renaissance section of the main Collection. These works are usually the heaviest pieces, being up to 500kgs in weight but are also very large objects in surface area with a complex construction.

Conservation issues within the altarpieces can also be significant and therefore this category includes a number of bespoke handling solutions to individual objects (see the additional projects described in this section including for NG1).

The category also includes all the largest canvas works found in other sections of the collection. These works are not necessarily significant in weight, but it has been determined that their scale precludes their inclusion in the silver category and therefore they fall within blue moves.

Large moves described by this category are not an everyday occurrence, however, moves of all category of works have increased significantly over the last few years and the biggest volume increase has probably been within this section. In total, works within this category account for around 10% of the main floor display but when moved can account for a significantly greater percentage of the Departments resources and time. For example, NG1 (described elsewhere in this section) takes around 3 days to reposition and the majority of the AH team to carry out this task.

'''Yellow Equipment'''

As the works associated with this category can be manually handled within the short distances of a gallery or packing room, the equipment required consists of two forms of transportation necessary to move these paintings across larger distances within the two main buildings that make up the National Gallery.

The first and most common piece of equipment used for this purpose is the NG standard Picture Trolley. The standard picture trolley is a medium sized transportation trolley that is used for a large variety of moves and also for temporary storage in the Gallery’s stores. The original design was created by the department more than 20 years ago and consists of 4 units. The design, though generic in nature, was conceived to allow the best ease of movement throughout the Gallery site whilst also maximising the carrying capacity of the trolley. Its durability is such that it can also be used to carry works outside of the yellow category.

Part of the working philosophy of the team is that our art handlers carry only a very minimal amount of equipment on their person (basically a tape measure and standard screwdriver). The yellow trolleys have therefore been designed with a storage capacity for other tools and hanging equipment. This consists of two draws which are located at either end of the trolley.

The yellow trolleys are a standard, daily use piece of equipment which have served us well for many years. However, in keeping with our habit of revising our equipment and improving where necessary, a new design has been developed by one of our team supervisors with the first production model recently delivered. Here is his description of the new design and how it differs from the original model.

 

'''Yellow Trollies'''

The yellow trollies are key to how our teams operate in the gallery and the opportunity to re-think the design was not only a chance to make some physical modifications but also an opportunity to reconsider how we use them and make positive changes to our working practice. The trollies are used for the majority of picture movements, rehangs and exhibitions so the primary aims of my design were to increase the capacity for carrying multiple works, improve access throughout the gallery and to provide teams with the correct tools and fixings for each job.

The original design was very successful and the physical changes I made were relatively minor. I added a horizontal extension allowing us to transport larger paintings, slimmed the overall width of the trolley by 50mm to make it easier to pass through doorways, gave it radial corners to remove the sharp edges and increased the clearance around the wheels allowing us to fit brakes. The trolley itself is made from aluminium rather than the original steel design with a 3mm steel deck replacing the 18mm ply and weighting the bottom to ensure stability and provide the necessary weight for the vibration dampening function of the wheels. For the overall structure I reduced the distance between the two outer uprights which both increases the ability to stack paintings side by side but also increases the central space on the deck for items that need to travel flat.

Working across a large site such as the National Gallery one key issue is ensuring that teams have the right tools and hardware ready to hand for each job. We try to minimise the equipment carried by individual technicians and so the majority of our fixings, screws and tooling are kept in the two drawers of each yellow trolley. Maintaining stock and making sure everything goes back in the right place can be difficult during busy periods and a regular frustration for our teams is tracking back and forth across the gallery in search of missing items. For the new trolley I have designed a removable insert for the fixings drawer. The intention is to provide two inserts for each trolley with fixings specific to the two different hanging systems we work with; either hanging from chains or screwing fixings directly into the wall. Through the act of collecting the right drawer insert for each job I am hoping that the process of acknowledging the contents and stock before setting off will become automatic, thereby reducing the frustration of finding items missing. The inserts also double as a tool box that can be removed for easy access during installs and to be restocked at the end of each day.

Alongside the project of designing the trolley we also repurposed a small existing storage area to function as a tooling station and essentially a garage for the trolleys to be stored in. This area has become key to the function of the new trolley design and intended usage, it puts all of the stock, tooling and resources in one place and the layout is arranged specifically around ease of access with a work bench for storing and stocking the drawer inserts. Providing a space for the trolleys to be returned to at the end of each day and collected from every morning may seem incredibly simple but working across such a large site with multiple picture stores and two tooling areas represents a subtle but fundamental change to how we think about the trolleys and how we use them on a daily basis

Tom Hemming, Team Supervisor

[[File:NewYellowTrolley22.jpeg|280px|left]]
 

'''Picture Bin'''

The second type of transportation equipment used for yellow moves is the picture bin. The concept for this consists of any kind of box on wheels able to carry small works by placing dividers between each work to allow “bridging”. The department has designed a standard National Gallery picture bin and has two units available to it. However, it is possible to quickly and easily produced this equipment, constructed from MDF or wood and ply and have at least another 10 units made in this way that were produced during temporary periods of very high picture movements (for example emptying stores). The bins are also very useful as temporary storage units where small works can be safely held and accounted for within a proper storage facility.

Unlike the yellow trolleys, there is obviously a physical limit to the size of the works that can be held within a bin. Normally this tends to be paintings with a major frame dimension of no more than 75cms, the works will also be required to weigh less than 25kgs each.

[[File:PictureBin.jpg|280px|left]]

 

'''Silver Equipment'''

The two primary pieces of equipment used in this category of move is a standard, 2000kg manually operated hydraulic stacker (maximum platform height of 4.5ms) and the National Gallery stacker trolley, designed by the department for this purpose. The aim of the stacker trolley is to transport the painting to the installation site and then be attached to the manual stacker so providing the lifting power to install or de-install the work. This operation removes most of the manual handling of the work itself, so providing a good health and safety option for the department as well as improving basic preventative conservation needs when transporting larger paintings within the gallery.

This type of equipment, from the original prototype, has been extensively remodelled and improved over a number of years through the creation of 7 different models or Marques. This includes designs which relate to specific roles necessary in the gallery or specific objects in the collection. For example, the Leonardo Cartoon is displayed using a specially reinforced, glazed steel box. This weighs about 190kgs so nominally would take it outside the silver category. However as this is the most efficient method we have of installing the work then a specific stacker trolley was created for this role.

When using this method of transportation and installation, it is often necessary for team members to work at height. Therefore,

the third piece of equipment associated with the category is a MEWP, working at height runabout. The type we use is the Genie GR 12. This piece of equipment needs to be versatile and sensitive enough to work around the stacker trolley set-up and we have found it has almost completely eliminated the use of step ladders within the procedure, an original goal of the process design.

The original concept for the equipment came from one of our senior technicians and the following statement by him describes how a prototype design was first agreed:

'''Silver Trolley'''

We have been using our stacker trolleys for 16 years now and they have proved a unique and practical way of undertaking the installation of large paintings within The National Gallery's collection. They have also become indispensable to the installation of smaller paintings at height in galleries where the pictures are double hung.

The story about how they came into being, highlights how the art handling department has been able to gain inspiration to create new methods of working, through visits to other Institutions around the world. For example, while helping on the de-installation of the Dennis Mahon exhibition up in Edinburgh in 1997 I noticed that the technicians there were using table tennis tables which could be folded up and moved around on wheels for packing and unpacking works of art. Our portable packing tables at the time were by comparison heavy, cumbersome and time consuming to move. As a result, we sourced our own table tennis tables and have been using them ever since as have a growing number of other galleries around the world.

This brings us back to the stacker trolley. On a courier trip to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich in November 1999 with a large full length portrait by Van Dyck, I witnessed the conservators (who also doubled as the art handling team there) place the painting face in on a large wooden A frame trolley, which was taken up to the galleries after the conservation check had been completed. Once the position for the installation had been established two of the team went up ladders on either side and a third member proceeded to pick up the whole A frame with a genie superlift stacker. The trolley was steadied by the two staff members up the ladders as it rose to the height at which the picture was to be hung. Once at height the two technicians hooked up the picture to the wire hanging system which was used throughout the gallery, unstrapped the painting and slowly lowered the A Frame while the technicians supported the picture allowing it back to the wall gently as the A frame descended. I was struck by how little additional handling was needed and how easily the installation had proceeded.

Consequently, on returning to The National Gallery I suggested we might try and develop a trolley which would be designed solely for this purpose. We had just had our own in house designed regular picture trolleys fabricated for us by a firm up in Tamworth near Birmingham and were confident they would be able to make these new trolleys for us.

It took roughly two and a half years before we were in a place where finances and time came together to allow us to start designing the first National Gallery stacker trolleys. The initial idea had come from my courier trip to Munich, but it was Patrick O’Sullivan who was to undertake drawing up the design along with solving the nuts and bolts issues creating a new trolley like this required. We discussed the features a bespoke trolley of this sort should have, and Patrick incorporated these into his design.

Like our new picture trolleys, the stacker trolleys were to be adjustable giving them as much flexibility over the sizes of pictures they could accommodate as possible. They were designed with a top bar which could extend both vertically (like our regular picture trolleys) but in addition horizontally on both sides. Patrick also designed two raised, padded feet which were attached and could slide along an aluminium bar which ran the length of the base of the trolley and gave adjustment to accommodate the decorative mouldings and carvings on the large variety of picture frames they would be employed to support.

He also designed the wheelbase to slide back when the trolley was lifted off the ground, either to install or de-install a painting. This meant that the padded feet could be brought right up to the wall making it possible to lift the picture straight off or onto the wall brackets from the trolley in most situations. They could then be slid back into position before being lowered to the ground giving the trolleys maximum stability for moving around the gallery when loaded, with large pictures.

Also, unlike the A frame in Munich which was just lifted from underneath by the stacker. These trolleys had a compartment designed into the framework underneath which snugly housed the tines of the stacker. There was also a bar which allowed the stacker and the trolley to be coupled together giving us the insurance the trolley could not slip of the tines with a painting in situ.

In 2004 the first prototype stacker trolley arrived at the gallery and proved itself invaluable in the day to day work of the art handling department. We discovered that not only was the trolley making the installation of large paintings easier for art handlers, but it also gave the curators a secure way of viewing a painting against the wall before settling on the height at which they intended to hang it.

The process before this involved padding out the tines of a stacker. Lifting the picture off a trolley manually and balancing it on those tines while it was precariously lifted into position. If especially large, one or two technicians were needed up on ladders to keep the balance at the top of the painting.

Now, a picture could be brought into position and lifted to the desired height without the added complication of ladders and technicians obscuring the view of the painting on the wall. It also often resulted in less handling for the pictures as they can be stored temporarily on the trolley until they were needed again.

Six months after the arrival of the first prototype we added another two improved versions of the first prototype to our growing collection of in house designed equipment. We eventually donated the original prototype to The National Museum Cardiff and have replaced the two trolleys which arrived after it with new improved versions, all of which were designed by Patrick.

We now have eight stacker trolleys, including two smaller units for installing smaller paintings at height. (One of which has been designed to double up specifically for the installation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Cartoon NG6337. ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist.”)

Wheel units no longer slide but swivel and several of the units have top bars which only lift vertically. Between them they cover most of the paintings within the collection that are better suited to being stackered into position rather than lifted manually. They are also regularly used as temporary storage units helping us to keep down the manual handling of large paintings to a bare minimum.

All in all, our stacker trolleys have proved an indispensable tool in the safe handling of large paintings. They continue to aid us in the installation, movement and storage of our larger paintings with an ease and simplicity we could hardly have imagined when the department started back in 1992.

Danny Metcalf Senior Art Handler

'''Blue Equipment'''

As this includes the most technically challenging works in the collection, the process and equipment used to move these objects also tends to be the most complicated. The main piece of equipment used in a blue move is the blue hoist. This item is essentially a large lifting and transportation device that also includes a significant working at height capability and several features to ease the operation and protect the object in transport.

Essentially though the concept for the blue hoist is very similar to the silver categories stacker trolley. In keeping with our general approach to large equipment within the Gallery site, the design of the blue hoist is modular. As with the stacker trolley, the lifting “engine” of the hoist is provided by a standard, 2000kgs stacker which marries with the hoist in a similar way to the Stacker trolley. The use of this approach has meant that the design could originally be more easily developed by the department as more complex elements, such as a hydraulic capability, could be ignored. The design also includes two working at height access towers that join with the main hoist body to provide access for the team. Tower outriggers (as found in standard mobile scaffold platforms) are not necessary as the main body of the hoist provides the stability. These towers can be swapped out for the GR12 MEWPS accordingly, at least one MEWP always being needed to perform other functions with the hoist.

The design also includes a movable tyne system that is arranged in all three axis allowing the position of the hoist to be replicated for each move whilst the tynes go and “grab” the object. In addition, two “picture clamps” are situated at the top of the hoist. These can be adjusted to take into account the width of a picture (up to a maximum of 5.5 metres) and are used to hold the painting vertically when the works are moved (something vital for the moving of altarpieces).

The hoist has eliminated the need for manual lifting of the largest objects in the collection, however the operation still involves a significant use of the teams’ resource with at least 6 technicians required for a blue move.

In addition to the hoist, blue move equipment also includes other items such as the picture carrying “towers”. These are large, triangular shaped carrying scaffolds that are used to move objects through specific routes of the Gallery or to free the use of the blue hoist, allowing multiple blue moves in one session (something that has become more frequent).

== Equipment ==

The art handling department deploys several general and bespoke pieces of equipment to carry out our role. Our approach has been to develop the processes and concepts for our tasks and then to match the equipment to our needs. This has led to a significant design program within the department over many years that has resulted in original design solutions and models of equipment that have then been improved upon. These include the following:

'''The Standard Picture Trolley'''

Associated with the yellow category move, our standard trolley was first developed in 1998 as a general-use piece of equipment assigned to art handling teams. The trolley is durable enough to transport all categories of pictures within the collection but is primarily used to transport multiple works simultaneously. The trolley also has the capacity to safely carry tools and materials for the team whilst transporting pictures. The original design has recently been upgraded to a new model by Tom Hemming, one of our team supervisors.

'''The Stacker Trolley'''

Associated with the Aluminium move, this picture trolley is used to transport and install larger category works. It is designed for one painting at a time and links with a hydraulic stacker to ease installation for the team. This design has undergone several modifications and variants.

[[File:StackerTrolleySilver.jpeg|280px|left]]
 

'''The Case Roller'''

This piece of equipment was developed by the team to facilitate the unpacking of paintings from their cases. Most picture cases (used for external transport) must be laid flat to be unpacked and this usually requires a significant physical effort. The case roller acts as a quarter round lever and preparation table that makes this operation significantly easier.

'''The Blue Hoist'''

The blue hoist is a large, multi-functional picture transporter and installer that we developed to deal with the largest works in the collection. It is designed to register with our altarpiece display system and has features such as adjustable picture clamps made to hold a work in perfect vertical orientation for transport.

We also use a large range of common equipment normally found within art handling teams. These include J bars for cases, mobile packing tables, skoots and skates, weigh pallets and for working at height we use Mobile Elevated Work Platforms or MEWPS.

The standard model MEWP we use is the Genie GR12. This model has the right weight to height ratio necessary for our gallery environment. We have two of these and they have completely replaced the use of ladders and made redundant the use of scaffold. Step ladders are still occasionally used under normal, health and safety protocols.

== Complicated Installations ==

As mentioned in our category system, the art handling department adopts a three-part system of classification for each artwork in the collection. The blue category includes the largest and heaviest works that also provide the biggest technical challenge to us. Most of these works are large altarpieces or canvases that exceed the limits imposed on the other categories, and special equipment (namely in the form of the blue hoist) has been developed to deal with these moves.

However, there are several moves that can be considered exceptionally significant even within the terms of the blue category and these we call complicated installations. This category of move usually requires further processes or equipment designs to be developed, including some intervention to support the object itself. Usually this is due to the fragility of the object involved with respect to its size but can also be due to display requirements, such as a particular framing approach. A good example of this category is the requirements for the large painting by Sebastiano del Piombo The Raising of Lazarus (NG1).

NG1 is a painting with significant conservation issues around its structure that have caused considerable problems when it was necessary to move the work. The picture was originally a large altarpiece painted on a thick wooden support (exact nature unknown) which was then “transferred” during the 18th century whilst in the possession of the French royal court. The transferring process simply involves removing the original wooden support and replacing it with a canvas one. However, over time this caused significant conservation issues and when it became the responsibility of The National Gallery art handling department to move it (late 20th century) the process necessary to do so was too precarious to carry out without risking damage to the painting. A new process was necessary and would involve designing a support system for the painting which could then work with the newly designed blue hoist.

[[File:NG1moveRoom9_32.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_50.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_56.jpg|300px]]

 

'''New structural support for NG1'''

We had already adopted a possible solution in other altarpieces. This involved designing an aluminium “cage” that would fit around the painting as a permanent feature. This would then replace the picture frame as the standard support for the work, meaning the painting could be safely de-framed (necessary for NG1 in particular). In addition, a system of four “screens” was designed that could attach to the new cage. These would wrap around the front of the work where strategically placed soft pads would gently hold the surface of the work in place whilst it was moved (the main issue being the movement of the surface on the canvas). This support system could be applied whilst the work was hanging and would provide protection against the normal art handling techniques such as “bowling” (the re-orientation of a work from one axis to another). This also meant that the main display frame became a “veneer” for appearance only, as the structural load of the work was taken by the new support frame. With this arrangement, the work could now be de-installed and moved using the blue hoist system as described in the blue category.

'''Installing the new display frame'''

At the time of the development of the support system for NG1, we also discussed the possibility of a new display frame that would fit around it and reproduce the main altarpiece form its original location in a church in Italy. However, it would be several more years before this project began, eventually being realised due to the picture’s involvement in the gallery exhibition of Sebastiano and Michelangelo in 2017.

This project added another level of complexity to this move as it involved the installation of an extremely large frame in four parts, placed around the painting once the work itself had already been installed. To make this possible we developed an installation system that “registered” with the cage of the painting when installed.

The new systems have proved to be very successful and have allowed the painting to be moved as required (something we had stopped doing prior to the development of the process). However, it remains possibly the most complicated of moves necessary at The National Gallery, made more so by its very impressive display frame.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

[[File:NG1unframedB.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframedC.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframed.jpg|300px]]

 

== Loan Preparation ==

As a department we are central to the loan programme and we work closely with several key departments including collection registrars, curatorial, conservation, framing and photography.

The loan process begins with the collection registrars who receive loan requests from museums and galleries across the world.

This in turn triggers a whole process. Art handling becomes heavily involved once a case order is received from one of the collection registrars. For over 25 years, we worked with Kent Services Limited (KSL) as a supplier of cases to the gallery, which we used to loan works from the collection. Sadly, in late 2020 they ceased trading. We now have a stock of cases they we purchased from KSL and we fit them out with Polyurethane open cell foam (grade S275) and Plastazote LD45 for each painting in the collection that goes on loan.

The case order form contains key information such as the medium, framed dimensions and conservation requirements. We use this information and some other vital details to allocate a suitable case from our stock. We may have to transport the case from offsite storage, then fit out that case, ready for loan. The last stage of this part of the process is to create an invoice for the borrower as they pay for the rental of the case for the duration of the loan.

Later in the loan process we schedule the removal of works from display that are going on loan. This will mean a minor or major rehang of that gallery and we liaise with the relevant curator in order to complete this work. They supply us with a plan, usually a visual document, and we check this and translate the details into TMS. This enable the art handlers to have a worksheet to work from and refer to. We also provide labels for each work, they are written by the curator in question but checked and printed by us, ready for the hang.

This hang is organised in advance and considers any conservation or framing work that needs to take place before going on loan. If a work is not on display it is moved from storage to conservation for pre-loan checks and for the work to be carried out.

We organise the packing of works and coordinate the presence of a Conservator in order to check the painting right before it is packed into the case. Finally, when the case is collected at handling is present for the moving and loading.

When a painting comes back from loan this process happens in reverse and we organise each stage of this process, liaising with, and physically moving the painting and rehanging it in the gallery.

Over the course of a normal year we loan approximately 100 paintings from the collection. Therefore, this process happens multiple times and on any one day there are several loans at various stages in this process.

Louise Marlborough, Administrator

The Collection

2023-04-25T15:21:21Z

Lmarlborough:

This section describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated/bespoke examples (NG6337 etc) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s collection of art consists mainly of western European paintings from the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection does include some sculptural objects, but the painting collection is its primary focus. Within this area of paintings are a wide variety of works with differing physical characteristics. These vary from early renaissance frescoes and panels (on a range of wooden supports) to many works on canvas and works on paper.

These works vary enormously in terms of mass and durability. For example, the collection includes very large and complex altarpieces, constructed from large wooden sections that can weigh up to 500kgs, to works on paper such as the Leonardo cartoon which are extremely ephemeral and require specific handling and display solutions. Paradoxically, large works of significant mass are themselves extremely vulnerable to movement by virtue of their structure working against the material they are made of when they are manipulated.

The role of the art handling department is to create safe systems of operations that we can use when moving the collection for any purpose. Any system that we develop needs to be understood by the art handling team as well as being reliable and repeatable. It also needs to follow the best conservation practice as described to us by our conservation team at the gallery.

The need for repeatable systems is due to the volume of moves that are undertaken each year with the collection. On average, around 15,000 moves of art works occur within the site of The National Gallery each year, all undertaken by the art handling team. This covers all aspects of our work, including basic moves throughout the gallery site, thousands of separate installations and preparation of works from the collection when loaned to other museums throughout the world.

Our aim is to create working systems that can safely cope with this volume of work whilst also being measurable. This is very important for the standard of our work as though we do create individual solutions to specific problems, we also need to know that our team is operating within a well understood framework from which we can confidently make decisions about the work in our care.

To facilitate our approach to the collection, we have developed a technical classification system that describes the art handling requirements for each individual object within the collection. This system breaks the collection down into three categories and names each category after a colour, either yellow, blue or silver.

Each of the categories assumes some simple characteristics for each object. Essentially weight and size are the main determining factors, the record of which category a work is placed in can be found on the individual record for each artwork held in the main collection database (TMS) under the art handling section. Within this record further, more detailed information can be included (please refer to the database description for further information).

The use of a largely generic classification system then allows us to design specific handling solutions to each category. In turn, the problems of handling and installing a specific object can be seen within this framework. The nature of the collection at the gallery has meant that such an approach is possible since the movement of large numbers of works that have similar physical characteristics is essentially the same. It also means that specific, individual solutions can be found to unique problems that can be seen within the context of the main framework.

A crucial element to the system is to develop the correct equipment alongside the correct process and approach. The art handling department has a long-standing equipment development program (now more than 20 years old) that designs and has manufactured specific equipment relevant to each of the categories.

It is worth noting that we apply the same or similar approach to our exhibitions where possible, however the requirements of lenders and the type of objects that may be included in our shows means that a more variable response is often necessary (please refer to exhibitions). This though can still be referred to the general principals established by our system. In the following pages we describe the processes and equipment for each of the categories.

[[File:Room32.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Colour Category System ==

Due to the nature of the picture collection at The National Gallery, it is possible to categorise paintings according to the actions necessary for de/installation. This has led us to group works into three categories for this purpose, which are as follows.

Although there are exceptions to these categories, nearly every object in the collection can be group in one of these sections. Our approach to designing installation and transportation solutions is informed by this system.

'''Standard Manual Lift or Yellow Move'''

The yellow move category encompasses the simplest moves we are required to undertake. The category includes all works that can be manually handled over small distances by two art handlers, or can be installed without the need for additional equipment to elevate the painting into position.

The category does not necessarily state the characteristics of the works it includes but generally it refers to paintings weighing under 60kgs. The size of the work is also not such a significant factor as quite large paintings can be included if it is determined they fall within the ease of handling required.

The yellow category contains around 60% of the works within the gallery's collection and will form the majority of moves throughout the year. Using the correct equipment associated with the category (as listed below) multiple moves of paintings can occur simultaneously and this is frequently found to be the case when large gallery hangs occur. Commonly the works within the category are installed using a plate system or The National Gallery gadget system (please refer to installation methods) and additional security measures are also applied at installation.

'''Medium Lift or Silver Move'''

The silver move category covers most of the mid-range installations and moves that we undertake. This category probably accounts for around 20 to 25% of all moves that occur and requires the use of a minimum of three art handlers plus the designated equipment (as described here).

For these moves, we set a limit of 150kgs in weight for the object being moved. Most of the works that fall into this category also tend to be large in area with a major dimension usually exceeding 2 metres.

A lower weight limit is not set as the category considers the physical dimensions of the paintings involved as well as their weight. Often, we find canvas paintings can be light enough to fall within the yellow category but of such dimensions as to create significant problems when manually handling them.

Works within this category are usually transported singularly on stacker trolleys (see equipment). There are a variety of hanging methods employed when installing these works though the most common are supporting brackets and plates or a suspension system (within the National gallery chains are employed). Usually, given the size of the works, standard security is employed when on display.

'''Heavy Lift or Blue Move'''

The Blue move category encompasses the largest and most logistically challenging objects within the National Gallery’s collection.

The most common example of works found in this category are the group of large altarpieces dating from the early renaissance section of the main Collection. These works are usually the heaviest pieces, being up to 500kgs in weight but are also very large objects in surface area with a complex construction.

Conservation issues within the altarpieces can also be significant and therefore this category includes a number of bespoke handling solutions to individual objects (see the additional projects described in this section including for NG1).

The category also includes all the largest canvas works found in other sections of the collection. These works are not necessarily significant in weight, but it has been determined that their scale precludes their inclusion in the silver category and therefore they fall within blue moves.

Large moves described by this category are not an everyday occurrence, however, moves of all category of works have increased significantly over the last few years and the biggest volume increase has probably been within this section. In total, works within this category account for around 10% of the main floor display but when moved can account for a significantly greater percentage of the Departments resources and time. For example, NG1 (described elsewhere in this section) takes around 3 days to reposition and the majority of the AH team to carry out this task.

'''Yellow Equipment'''

As the works associated with this category can be manually handled within the short distances of a gallery or packing room, the equipment required consists of two forms of transportation necessary to move these paintings across larger distances within the two main buildings that make up the National Gallery.

The first and most common piece of equipment used for this purpose is the NG standard Picture Trolley. The standard picture trolley is a medium sized transportation trolley that is used for a large variety of moves and also for temporary storage in the Gallery’s stores. The original design was created by the department more than 20 years ago and consists of 4 units. The design, though generic in nature, was conceived to allow the best ease of movement throughout the Gallery site whilst also maximising the carrying capacity of the trolley. Its durability is such that it can also be used to carry works outside of the yellow category.

Part of the working philosophy of the team is that our art handlers carry only a very minimal amount of equipment on their person (basically a tape measure and standard screwdriver). The yellow trolleys have therefore been designed with a storage capacity for other tools and hanging equipment. This consists of two draws which are located at either end of the trolley.

The yellow trolleys are a standard, daily use piece of equipment which have served us well for many years. However, in keeping with our habit of revising our equipment and improving where necessary, a new design has been developed by one of our team supervisors with the first production model recently delivered. Here is his description of the new design and how it differs from the original model.

 

'''Yellow Trollies'''

The yellow trollies are key to how our teams operate in the gallery and the opportunity to re-think the design was not only a chance to make some physical modifications but also an opportunity to reconsider how we use them and make positive changes to our working practice. The trollies are used for the majority of picture movements, rehangs and exhibitions so the primary aims of my design were to increase the capacity for carrying multiple works, improve access throughout the gallery and to provide teams with the correct tools and fixings for each job.

The original design was very successful and the physical changes I made were relatively minor. I added a horizontal extension allowing us to transport larger paintings, slimmed the overall width of the trolley by 50mm to make it easier to pass through doorways, gave it radial corners to remove the sharp edges and increased the clearance around the wheels allowing us to fit brakes. The trolley itself is made from aluminium rather than the original steel design with a 3mm steel deck replacing the 18mm ply and weighting the bottom to ensure stability and provide the necessary weight for the vibration dampening function of the wheels. For the overall structure I reduced the distance between the two outer uprights which both increases the ability to stack paintings side by side but also increases the central space on the deck for items that need to travel flat.

Working across a large site such as the National Gallery one key issue is ensuring that teams have the right tools and hardware ready to hand for each job. We try to minimise the equipment carried by individual technicians and so the majority of our fixings, screws and tooling are kept in the two drawers of each yellow trolley. Maintaining stock and making sure everything goes back in the right place can be difficult during busy periods and a regular frustration for our teams is tracking back and forth across the gallery in search of missing items. For the new trolley I have designed a removable insert for the fixings drawer. The intention is to provide two inserts for each trolley with fixings specific to the two different hanging systems we work with; either hanging from chains or screwing fixings directly into the wall. Through the act of collecting the right drawer insert for each job I am hoping that the process of acknowledging the contents and stock before setting off will become automatic, thereby reducing the frustration of finding items missing. The inserts also double as a tool box that can be removed for easy access during installs and to be restocked at the end of each day.

Alongside the project of designing the trolley we also repurposed a small existing storage area to function as a tooling station and essentially a garage for the trolleys to be stored in. This area has become key to the function of the new trolley design and intended usage, it puts all of the stock, tooling and resources in one place and the layout is arranged specifically around ease of access with a work bench for storing and stocking the drawer inserts. Providing a space for the trolleys to be returned to at the end of each day and collected from every morning may seem incredibly simple but working across such a large site with multiple picture stores and two tooling areas represents a subtle but fundamental change to how we think about the trolleys and how we use them on a daily basis

Tom Hemming, Team Supervisor

[[File:NewYellowTrolley22.jpeg|280px|left]]
 

'''Picture Bin'''

The second type of transportation equipment used for yellow moves is the picture bin. The concept for this consists of any kind of box on wheels able to carry small works by placing dividers between each work to allow “bridging”. The department has designed a standard National Gallery picture bin and has two units available to it. However, it is possible to quickly and easily produced this equipment, constructed from MDF or wood and ply and have at least another 10 units made in this way that were produced during temporary periods of very high picture movements (for example emptying stores). The bins are also very useful as temporary storage units where small works can be safely held and accounted for within a proper storage facility.

Unlike the yellow trolleys, there is obviously a physical limit to the size of the works that can be held within a bin. Normally this tends to be paintings with a major frame dimension of no more than 75cms, the works will also be required to weigh less than 25kgs each.

[[File:PictureBin.jpg|280px|left]]

 

'''Silver Equipment'''

The two primary pieces of equipment used in this category of move is a standard, 2000kg manually operated hydraulic stacker (maximum platform height of 4.5ms) and the National Gallery stacker trolley, designed by the department for this purpose. The aim of the stacker trolley is to transport the painting to the installation site and then be attached to the manual stacker so providing the lifting power to install or de-install the work. This operation removes most of the manual handling of the work itself, so providing a good health and safety option for the department as well as improving basic preventative conservation needs when transporting larger paintings within the gallery.

This type of equipment, from the original prototype, has been extensively remodelled and improved over a number of years through the creation of 7 different models or Marques. This includes designs which relate to specific roles necessary in the gallery or specific objects in the collection. For example, the Leonardo Cartoon is displayed using a specially reinforced, glazed steel box. This weighs about 190kgs so nominally would take it outside the silver category. However as this is the most efficient method we have of installing the work then a specific stacker trolley was created for this role.

When using this method of transportation and installation, it is often necessary for team members to work at height. Therefore,

the third piece of equipment associated with the category is a MEWP, working at height runabout. The type we use is the Genie GR 12. This piece of equipment needs to be versatile and sensitive enough to work around the stacker trolley set-up and we have found it has almost completely eliminated the use of step ladders within the procedure, an original goal of the process design.

The original concept for the equipment came from one of our senior technicians and the following statement by him describes how a prototype design was first agreed:

'''Silver Trolley'''

We have been using our stacker trolleys for 16 years now and they have proved a unique and practical way of undertaking the installation of large paintings within The National Gallery's collection. They have also become indispensable to the installation of smaller paintings at height in galleries where the pictures are double hung.

The story about how they came into being, highlights how the art handling department has been able to gain inspiration to create new methods of working, through visits to other Institutions around the world. For example, while helping on the de-installation of the Dennis Mahon exhibition up in Edinburgh in 1997 I noticed that the technicians there were using table tennis tables which could be folded up and moved around on wheels for packing and unpacking works of art. Our portable packing tables at the time were by comparison heavy, cumbersome and time consuming to move. As a result, we sourced our own table tennis tables and have been using them ever since as have a growing number of other galleries around the world.

This brings us back to the stacker trolley. On a courier trip to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich in November 1999 with a large full length portrait by Van Dyck, I witnessed the conservators (who also doubled as the art handling team there) place the painting face in on a large wooden A frame trolley, which was taken up to the galleries after the conservation check had been completed. Once the position for the installation had been established two of the team went up ladders on either side and a third member proceeded to pick up the whole A frame with a genie superlift stacker. The trolley was steadied by the two staff members up the ladders as it rose to the height at which the picture was to be hung. Once at height the two technicians hooked up the picture to the wire hanging system which was used throughout the gallery, unstrapped the painting and slowly lowered the A Frame while the technicians supported the picture allowing it back to the wall gently as the A frame descended. I was struck by how little additional handling was needed and how easily the installation had proceeded.

Consequently, on returning to The National Gallery I suggested we might try and develop a trolley which would be designed solely for this purpose. We had just had our own in house designed regular picture trolleys fabricated for us by a firm up in Tamworth near Birmingham and were confident they would be able to make these new trolleys for us.

It took roughly two and a half years before we were in a place where finances and time came together to allow us to start designing the first National Gallery stacker trolleys. The initial idea had come from my courier trip to Munich, but it was Patrick O’Sullivan who was to undertake drawing up the design along with solving the nuts and bolts issues creating a new trolley like this required. We discussed the features a bespoke trolley of this sort should have, and Patrick incorporated these into his design.

Like our new picture trolleys, the stacker trolleys were to be adjustable giving them as much flexibility over the sizes of pictures they could accommodate as possible. They were designed with a top bar which could extend both vertically (like our regular picture trolleys) but in addition horizontally on both sides. Patrick also designed two raised, padded feet which were attached and could slide along an aluminium bar which ran the length of the base of the trolley and gave adjustment to accommodate the decorative mouldings and carvings on the large variety of picture frames they would be employed to support.

He also designed the wheelbase to slide back when the trolley was lifted off the ground, either to install or de-install a painting. This meant that the padded feet could be brought right up to the wall making it possible to lift the picture straight off or onto the wall brackets from the trolley in most situations. They could then be slid back into position before being lowered to the ground giving the trolleys maximum stability for moving around the gallery when loaded, with large pictures.

Also, unlike the A frame in Munich which was just lifted from underneath by the stacker. These trolleys had a compartment designed into the framework underneath which snugly housed the tines of the stacker. There was also a bar which allowed the stacker and the trolley to be coupled together giving us the insurance the trolley could not slip of the tines with a painting in situ.

In 2004 the first prototype stacker trolley arrived at the gallery and proved itself invaluable in the day to day work of the art handling department. We discovered that not only was the trolley making the installation of large paintings easier for art handlers, but it also gave the curators a secure way of viewing a painting against the wall before settling on the height at which they intended to hang it.

The process before this involved padding out the tines of a stacker. Lifting the picture off a trolley manually and balancing it on those tines while it was precariously lifted into position. If especially large, one or two technicians were needed up on ladders to keep the balance at the top of the painting.

Now, a picture could be brought into position and lifted to the desired height without the added complication of ladders and technicians obscuring the view of the painting on the wall. It also often resulted in less handling for the pictures as they can be stored temporarily on the trolley until they were needed again.

Six months after the arrival of the first prototype we added another two improved versions of the first prototype to our growing collection of in house designed equipment. We eventually donated the original prototype to The National Museum Cardiff and have replaced the two trolleys which arrived after it with new improved versions, all of which were designed by Patrick.

We now have eight stacker trolleys, including two smaller units for installing smaller paintings at height. (One of which has been designed to double up specifically for the installation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Cartoon NG6337. ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist.”)

Wheel units no longer slide but swivel and several of the units have top bars which only lift vertically. Between them they cover most of the paintings within the collection that are better suited to being stackered into position rather than lifted manually. They are also regularly used as temporary storage units helping us to keep down the manual handling of large paintings to a bare minimum.

All in all, our stacker trolleys have proved an indispensable tool in the safe handling of large paintings. They continue to aid us in the installation, movement and storage of our larger paintings with an ease and simplicity we could hardly have imagined when the department started back in 1992.

Danny Metcalf Senior Art Handler

'''Blue Equipment'''

As this includes the most technically challenging works in the collection, the process and equipment used to move these objects also tends to be the most complicated. The main piece of equipment used in a blue move is the blue hoist. This item is essentially a large lifting and transportation device that also includes a significant working at height capability and several features to ease the operation and protect the object in transport.

Essentially though the concept for the blue hoist is very similar to the silver categories stacker trolley. In keeping with our general approach to large equipment within the Gallery site, the design of the blue hoist is modular. As with the stacker trolley, the lifting “engine” of the hoist is provided by a standard, 2000kgs stacker which marries with the hoist in a similar way to the Stacker trolley. The use of this approach has meant that the design could originally be more easily developed by the department as more complex elements, such as a hydraulic capability, could be ignored. The design also includes two working at height access towers that join with the main hoist body to provide access for the team. Tower outriggers (as found in standard mobile scaffold platforms) are not necessary as the main body of the hoist provides the stability. These towers can be swapped out for the GR12 MEWPS accordingly, at least one MEWP always being needed to perform other functions with the hoist.

The design also includes a movable tyne system that is arranged in all three axis allowing the position of the hoist to be replicated for each move whilst the tynes go and “grab” the object. In addition, two “picture clamps” are situated at the top of the hoist. These can be adjusted to take into account the width of a picture (up to a maximum of 5.5 metres) and are used to hold the painting vertically when the works are moved (something vital for the moving of altarpieces).

The hoist has eliminated the need for manual lifting of the largest objects in the collection, however the operation still involves a significant use of the teams’ resource with at least 6 technicians required for a blue move.

In addition to the hoist, blue move equipment also includes other items such as the picture carrying “towers”. These are large, triangular shaped carrying scaffolds that are used to move objects through specific routes of the Gallery or to free the use of the blue hoist, allowing multiple blue moves in one session (something that has become more frequent).

== Equipment ==

The art handling department deploys several general and bespoke pieces of equipment to carry out our role. Our approach has been to develop the processes and concepts for our tasks and then to match the equipment to our needs. This has led to a significant design program within the department over many years that has resulted in original design solutions and models of equipment that have then been improved upon. These include the following:

'''The Standard Picture Trolley'''

Associated with the yellow category move, our standard trolley was first developed in 1998 as a general-use piece of equipment assigned to art handling teams. The trolley is durable enough to transport all categories of pictures within the collection but is primarily used to transport multiple works simultaneously. The trolley also has the capacity to safely carry tools and materials for the team whilst transporting pictures. The original design has recently been upgraded to a new model by Tom Hemming, one of our team supervisors.

'''The Stacker Trolley'''

Associated with the Aluminium move, this picture trolley is used to transport and install larger category works. It is designed for one painting at a time and links with a hydraulic stacker to ease installation for the team. This design has undergone several modifications and variants.

[[File:StackerTrolleySilver.jpeg|280px|left]]

'''The Case Roller'''

This piece of equipment was developed by the team to facilitate the unpacking of paintings from their cases. Most picture cases (used for external transport) must be laid flat to be unpacked and this usually requires a significant physical effort. The case roller acts as a quarter round lever and preparation table that makes this operation significantly easier.

'''The Blue Hoist'''

The blue hoist is a large, multi-functional picture transporter and installer that we developed to deal with the largest works in the collection. It is designed to register with our altarpiece display system and has features such as adjustable picture clamps made to hold a work in perfect vertical orientation for transport.

We also use a large range of common equipment normally found within art handling teams. These include J bars for cases, mobile packing tables, skoots and skates, weigh pallets and for working at height we use Mobile Elevated Work Platforms or MEWPS.

The standard model MEWP we use is the Genie GR12. This model has the right weight to height ratio necessary for our gallery environment. We have two of these and they have completely replaced the use of ladders and made redundant the use of scaffold. Step ladders are still occasionally used under normal, health and safety protocols.

== Complicated Installations ==

As mentioned in our category system, the art handling department adopts a three-part system of classification for each artwork in the collection. The blue category includes the largest and heaviest works that also provide the biggest technical challenge to us. Most of these works are large altarpieces or canvases that exceed the limits imposed on the other categories, and special equipment (namely in the form of the blue hoist) has been developed to deal with these moves.

However, there are several moves that can be considered exceptionally significant even within the terms of the blue category and these we call complicated installations. This category of move usually requires further processes or equipment designs to be developed, including some intervention to support the object itself. Usually this is due to the fragility of the object involved with respect to its size but can also be due to display requirements, such as a particular framing approach. A good example of this category is the requirements for the large painting by Sebastiano del Piombo The Raising of Lazarus (NG1).

NG1 is a painting with significant conservation issues around its structure that have caused considerable problems when it was necessary to move the work. The picture was originally a large altarpiece painted on a thick wooden support (exact nature unknown) which was then “transferred” during the 18th century whilst in the possession of the French royal court. The transferring process simply involves removing the original wooden support and replacing it with a canvas one. However, over time this caused significant conservation issues and when it became the responsibility of The National Gallery art handling department to move it (late 20th century) the process necessary to do so was too precarious to carry out without risking damage to the painting. A new process was necessary and would involve designing a support system for the painting which could then work with the newly designed blue hoist.

[[File:NG1moveRoom9_32.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_50.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_56.jpg|300px]]

 

'''New structural support for NG1'''

We had already adopted a possible solution in other altarpieces. This involved designing an aluminium “cage” that would fit around the painting as a permanent feature. This would then replace the picture frame as the standard support for the work, meaning the painting could be safely de-framed (necessary for NG1 in particular). In addition, a system of four “screens” was designed that could attach to the new cage. These would wrap around the front of the work where strategically placed soft pads would gently hold the surface of the work in place whilst it was moved (the main issue being the movement of the surface on the canvas). This support system could be applied whilst the work was hanging and would provide protection against the normal art handling techniques such as “bowling” (the re-orientation of a work from one axis to another). This also meant that the main display frame became a “veneer” for appearance only, as the structural load of the work was taken by the new support frame. With this arrangement, the work could now be de-installed and moved using the blue hoist system as described in the blue category.

'''Installing the new display frame'''

At the time of the development of the support system for NG1, we also discussed the possibility of a new display frame that would fit around it and reproduce the main altarpiece form its original location in a church in Italy. However, it would be several more years before this project began, eventually being realised due to the picture’s involvement in the gallery exhibition of Sebastiano and Michelangelo in 2017.

This project added another level of complexity to this move as it involved the installation of an extremely large frame in four parts, placed around the painting once the work itself had already been installed. To make this possible we developed an installation system that “registered” with the cage of the painting when installed.

The new systems have proved to be very successful and have allowed the painting to be moved as required (something we had stopped doing prior to the development of the process). However, it remains possibly the most complicated of moves necessary at The National Gallery, made more so by its very impressive display frame.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

[[File:NG1unframedB.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframedC.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframed.jpg|300px]]

 

== Loan Preparation ==

As a department we are central to the loan programme and we work closely with several key departments including collection registrars, curatorial, conservation, framing and photography.

The loan process begins with the collection registrars who receive loan requests from museums and galleries across the world.

This in turn triggers a whole process. Art handling becomes heavily involved once a case order is received from one of the collection registrars. For over 25 years, we worked with Kent Services Limited (KSL) as a supplier of cases to the gallery, which we used to loan works from the collection. Sadly, in late 2020 they ceased trading. We now have a stock of cases they we purchased from KSL and we fit them out with Polyurethane open cell foam (grade S275) and Plastazote LD45 for each painting in the collection that goes on loan.

The case order form contains key information such as the medium, framed dimensions and conservation requirements. We use this information and some other vital details to allocate a suitable case from our stock. We may have to transport the case from offsite storage, then fit out that case, ready for loan. The last stage of this part of the process is to create an invoice for the borrower as they pay for the rental of the case for the duration of the loan.

Later in the loan process we schedule the removal of works from display that are going on loan. This will mean a minor or major rehang of that gallery and we liaise with the relevant curator in order to complete this work. They supply us with a plan, usually a visual document, and we check this and translate the details into TMS. This enable the art handlers to have a worksheet to work from and refer to. We also provide labels for each work, they are written by the curator in question but checked and printed by us, ready for the hang.

This hang is organised in advance and considers any conservation or framing work that needs to take place before going on loan. If a work is not on display it is moved from storage to conservation for pre-loan checks and for the work to be carried out.

We organise the packing of works and coordinate the presence of a Conservator in order to check the painting right before it is packed into the case. Finally, when the case is collected at handling is present for the moving and loading.

When a painting comes back from loan this process happens in reverse and we organise each stage of this process, liaising with, and physically moving the painting and rehanging it in the gallery.

Over the course of a normal year we loan approximately 100 paintings from the collection. Therefore, this process happens multiple times and on any one day there are several loans at various stages in this process.

Louise Marlborough, Administrator

File:StackerTrolleySilver.jpeg

2023-04-25T15:21:01Z

Lmarlborough:

The Collection

2023-04-25T15:20:03Z

Lmarlborough:

This section describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated/bespoke examples (NG6337 etc) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s collection of art consists mainly of western European paintings from the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection does include some sculptural objects, but the painting collection is its primary focus. Within this area of paintings are a wide variety of works with differing physical characteristics. These vary from early renaissance frescoes and panels (on a range of wooden supports) to many works on canvas and works on paper.

These works vary enormously in terms of mass and durability. For example, the collection includes very large and complex altarpieces, constructed from large wooden sections that can weigh up to 500kgs, to works on paper such as the Leonardo cartoon which are extremely ephemeral and require specific handling and display solutions. Paradoxically, large works of significant mass are themselves extremely vulnerable to movement by virtue of their structure working against the material they are made of when they are manipulated.

The role of the art handling department is to create safe systems of operations that we can use when moving the collection for any purpose. Any system that we develop needs to be understood by the art handling team as well as being reliable and repeatable. It also needs to follow the best conservation practice as described to us by our conservation team at the gallery.

The need for repeatable systems is due to the volume of moves that are undertaken each year with the collection. On average, around 15,000 moves of art works occur within the site of The National Gallery each year, all undertaken by the art handling team. This covers all aspects of our work, including basic moves throughout the gallery site, thousands of separate installations and preparation of works from the collection when loaned to other museums throughout the world.

Our aim is to create working systems that can safely cope with this volume of work whilst also being measurable. This is very important for the standard of our work as though we do create individual solutions to specific problems, we also need to know that our team is operating within a well understood framework from which we can confidently make decisions about the work in our care.

To facilitate our approach to the collection, we have developed a technical classification system that describes the art handling requirements for each individual object within the collection. This system breaks the collection down into three categories and names each category after a colour, either yellow, blue or silver.

Each of the categories assumes some simple characteristics for each object. Essentially weight and size are the main determining factors, the record of which category a work is placed in can be found on the individual record for each artwork held in the main collection database (TMS) under the art handling section. Within this record further, more detailed information can be included (please refer to the database description for further information).

The use of a largely generic classification system then allows us to design specific handling solutions to each category. In turn, the problems of handling and installing a specific object can be seen within this framework. The nature of the collection at the gallery has meant that such an approach is possible since the movement of large numbers of works that have similar physical characteristics is essentially the same. It also means that specific, individual solutions can be found to unique problems that can be seen within the context of the main framework.

A crucial element to the system is to develop the correct equipment alongside the correct process and approach. The art handling department has a long-standing equipment development program (now more than 20 years old) that designs and has manufactured specific equipment relevant to each of the categories.

It is worth noting that we apply the same or similar approach to our exhibitions where possible, however the requirements of lenders and the type of objects that may be included in our shows means that a more variable response is often necessary (please refer to exhibitions). This though can still be referred to the general principals established by our system. In the following pages we describe the processes and equipment for each of the categories.

[[File:Room32.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Colour Category System ==

Due to the nature of the picture collection at The National Gallery, it is possible to categorise paintings according to the actions necessary for de/installation. This has led us to group works into three categories for this purpose, which are as follows.

Although there are exceptions to these categories, nearly every object in the collection can be group in one of these sections. Our approach to designing installation and transportation solutions is informed by this system.

'''Standard Manual Lift or Yellow Move'''

The yellow move category encompasses the simplest moves we are required to undertake. The category includes all works that can be manually handled over small distances by two art handlers, or can be installed without the need for additional equipment to elevate the painting into position.

The category does not necessarily state the characteristics of the works it includes but generally it refers to paintings weighing under 60kgs. The size of the work is also not such a significant factor as quite large paintings can be included if it is determined they fall within the ease of handling required.

The yellow category contains around 60% of the works within the gallery's collection and will form the majority of moves throughout the year. Using the correct equipment associated with the category (as listed below) multiple moves of paintings can occur simultaneously and this is frequently found to be the case when large gallery hangs occur. Commonly the works within the category are installed using a plate system or The National Gallery gadget system (please refer to installation methods) and additional security measures are also applied at installation.

'''Medium Lift or Silver Move'''

The silver move category covers most of the mid-range installations and moves that we undertake. This category probably accounts for around 20 to 25% of all moves that occur and requires the use of a minimum of three art handlers plus the designated equipment (as described here).

For these moves, we set a limit of 150kgs in weight for the object being moved. Most of the works that fall into this category also tend to be large in area with a major dimension usually exceeding 2 metres.

A lower weight limit is not set as the category considers the physical dimensions of the paintings involved as well as their weight. Often, we find canvas paintings can be light enough to fall within the yellow category but of such dimensions as to create significant problems when manually handling them.

Works within this category are usually transported singularly on stacker trolleys (see equipment). There are a variety of hanging methods employed when installing these works though the most common are supporting brackets and plates or a suspension system (within the National gallery chains are employed). Usually, given the size of the works, standard security is employed when on display.

'''Heavy Lift or Blue Move'''

The Blue move category encompasses the largest and most logistically challenging objects within the National Gallery’s collection.

The most common example of works found in this category are the group of large altarpieces dating from the early renaissance section of the main Collection. These works are usually the heaviest pieces, being up to 500kgs in weight but are also very large objects in surface area with a complex construction.

Conservation issues within the altarpieces can also be significant and therefore this category includes a number of bespoke handling solutions to individual objects (see the additional projects described in this section including for NG1).

The category also includes all the largest canvas works found in other sections of the collection. These works are not necessarily significant in weight, but it has been determined that their scale precludes their inclusion in the silver category and therefore they fall within blue moves.

Large moves described by this category are not an everyday occurrence, however, moves of all category of works have increased significantly over the last few years and the biggest volume increase has probably been within this section. In total, works within this category account for around 10% of the main floor display but when moved can account for a significantly greater percentage of the Departments resources and time. For example, NG1 (described elsewhere in this section) takes around 3 days to reposition and the majority of the AH team to carry out this task.

'''Yellow Equipment'''

As the works associated with this category can be manually handled within the short distances of a gallery or packing room, the equipment required consists of two forms of transportation necessary to move these paintings across larger distances within the two main buildings that make up the National Gallery.

The first and most common piece of equipment used for this purpose is the NG standard Picture Trolley. The standard picture trolley is a medium sized transportation trolley that is used for a large variety of moves and also for temporary storage in the Gallery’s stores. The original design was created by the department more than 20 years ago and consists of 4 units. The design, though generic in nature, was conceived to allow the best ease of movement throughout the Gallery site whilst also maximising the carrying capacity of the trolley. Its durability is such that it can also be used to carry works outside of the yellow category.

Part of the working philosophy of the team is that our art handlers carry only a very minimal amount of equipment on their person (basically a tape measure and standard screwdriver). The yellow trolleys have therefore been designed with a storage capacity for other tools and hanging equipment. This consists of two draws which are located at either end of the trolley.

The yellow trolleys are a standard, daily use piece of equipment which have served us well for many years. However, in keeping with our habit of revising our equipment and improving where necessary, a new design has been developed by one of our team supervisors with the first production model recently delivered. Here is his description of the new design and how it differs from the original model.

 

'''Yellow Trollies'''

The yellow trollies are key to how our teams operate in the gallery and the opportunity to re-think the design was not only a chance to make some physical modifications but also an opportunity to reconsider how we use them and make positive changes to our working practice. The trollies are used for the majority of picture movements, rehangs and exhibitions so the primary aims of my design were to increase the capacity for carrying multiple works, improve access throughout the gallery and to provide teams with the correct tools and fixings for each job.

The original design was very successful and the physical changes I made were relatively minor. I added a horizontal extension allowing us to transport larger paintings, slimmed the overall width of the trolley by 50mm to make it easier to pass through doorways, gave it radial corners to remove the sharp edges and increased the clearance around the wheels allowing us to fit brakes. The trolley itself is made from aluminium rather than the original steel design with a 3mm steel deck replacing the 18mm ply and weighting the bottom to ensure stability and provide the necessary weight for the vibration dampening function of the wheels. For the overall structure I reduced the distance between the two outer uprights which both increases the ability to stack paintings side by side but also increases the central space on the deck for items that need to travel flat.

Working across a large site such as the National Gallery one key issue is ensuring that teams have the right tools and hardware ready to hand for each job. We try to minimise the equipment carried by individual technicians and so the majority of our fixings, screws and tooling are kept in the two drawers of each yellow trolley. Maintaining stock and making sure everything goes back in the right place can be difficult during busy periods and a regular frustration for our teams is tracking back and forth across the gallery in search of missing items. For the new trolley I have designed a removable insert for the fixings drawer. The intention is to provide two inserts for each trolley with fixings specific to the two different hanging systems we work with; either hanging from chains or screwing fixings directly into the wall. Through the act of collecting the right drawer insert for each job I am hoping that the process of acknowledging the contents and stock before setting off will become automatic, thereby reducing the frustration of finding items missing. The inserts also double as a tool box that can be removed for easy access during installs and to be restocked at the end of each day.

Alongside the project of designing the trolley we also repurposed a small existing storage area to function as a tooling station and essentially a garage for the trolleys to be stored in. This area has become key to the function of the new trolley design and intended usage, it puts all of the stock, tooling and resources in one place and the layout is arranged specifically around ease of access with a work bench for storing and stocking the drawer inserts. Providing a space for the trolleys to be returned to at the end of each day and collected from every morning may seem incredibly simple but working across such a large site with multiple picture stores and two tooling areas represents a subtle but fundamental change to how we think about the trolleys and how we use them on a daily basis

Tom Hemming, Team Supervisor

[[File:NewYellowTrolley22.jpeg|280px|left]]
 

'''Picture Bin'''

The second type of transportation equipment used for yellow moves is the picture bin. The concept for this consists of any kind of box on wheels able to carry small works by placing dividers between each work to allow “bridging”. The department has designed a standard National Gallery picture bin and has two units available to it. However, it is possible to quickly and easily produced this equipment, constructed from MDF or wood and ply and have at least another 10 units made in this way that were produced during temporary periods of very high picture movements (for example emptying stores). The bins are also very useful as temporary storage units where small works can be safely held and accounted for within a proper storage facility.

Unlike the yellow trolleys, there is obviously a physical limit to the size of the works that can be held within a bin. Normally this tends to be paintings with a major frame dimension of no more than 75cms, the works will also be required to weigh less than 25kgs each.

[[File:PictureBin.jpg|280px|left]]

 

'''Silver Equipment'''

The two primary pieces of equipment used in this category of move is a standard, 2000kg manually operated hydraulic stacker (maximum platform height of 4.5ms) and the National Gallery stacker trolley, designed by the department for this purpose. The aim of the stacker trolley is to transport the painting to the installation site and then be attached to the manual stacker so providing the lifting power to install or de-install the work. This operation removes most of the manual handling of the work itself, so providing a good health and safety option for the department as well as improving basic preventative conservation needs when transporting larger paintings within the gallery.

This type of equipment, from the original prototype, has been extensively remodelled and improved over a number of years through the creation of 7 different models or Marques. This includes designs which relate to specific roles necessary in the gallery or specific objects in the collection. For example, the Leonardo Cartoon is displayed using a specially reinforced, glazed steel box. This weighs about 190kgs so nominally would take it outside the silver category. However as this is the most efficient method we have of installing the work then a specific stacker trolley was created for this role.

When using this method of transportation and installation, it is often necessary for team members to work at height. Therefore,

the third piece of equipment associated with the category is a MEWP, working at height runabout. The type we use is the Genie GR 12. This piece of equipment needs to be versatile and sensitive enough to work around the stacker trolley set-up and we have found it has almost completely eliminated the use of step ladders within the procedure, an original goal of the process design.

The original concept for the equipment came from one of our senior technicians and the following statement by him describes how a prototype design was first agreed:

'''Silver Trolley'''

We have been using our stacker trolleys for 16 years now and they have proved a unique and practical way of undertaking the installation of large paintings within The National Gallery's collection. They have also become indispensable to the installation of smaller paintings at height in galleries where the pictures are double hung.

The story about how they came into being, highlights how the art handling department has been able to gain inspiration to create new methods of working, through visits to other Institutions around the world. For example, while helping on the de-installation of the Dennis Mahon exhibition up in Edinburgh in 1997 I noticed that the technicians there were using table tennis tables which could be folded up and moved around on wheels for packing and unpacking works of art. Our portable packing tables at the time were by comparison heavy, cumbersome and time consuming to move. As a result, we sourced our own table tennis tables and have been using them ever since as have a growing number of other galleries around the world.

This brings us back to the stacker trolley. On a courier trip to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich in November 1999 with a large full length portrait by Van Dyck, I witnessed the conservators (who also doubled as the art handling team there) place the painting face in on a large wooden A frame trolley, which was taken up to the galleries after the conservation check had been completed. Once the position for the installation had been established two of the team went up ladders on either side and a third member proceeded to pick up the whole A frame with a genie superlift stacker. The trolley was steadied by the two staff members up the ladders as it rose to the height at which the picture was to be hung. Once at height the two technicians hooked up the picture to the wire hanging system which was used throughout the gallery, unstrapped the painting and slowly lowered the A Frame while the technicians supported the picture allowing it back to the wall gently as the A frame descended. I was struck by how little additional handling was needed and how easily the installation had proceeded.

Consequently, on returning to The National Gallery I suggested we might try and develop a trolley which would be designed solely for this purpose. We had just had our own in house designed regular picture trolleys fabricated for us by a firm up in Tamworth near Birmingham and were confident they would be able to make these new trolleys for us.

It took roughly two and a half years before we were in a place where finances and time came together to allow us to start designing the first National Gallery stacker trolleys. The initial idea had come from my courier trip to Munich, but it was Patrick O’Sullivan who was to undertake drawing up the design along with solving the nuts and bolts issues creating a new trolley like this required. We discussed the features a bespoke trolley of this sort should have, and Patrick incorporated these into his design.

Like our new picture trolleys, the stacker trolleys were to be adjustable giving them as much flexibility over the sizes of pictures they could accommodate as possible. They were designed with a top bar which could extend both vertically (like our regular picture trolleys) but in addition horizontally on both sides. Patrick also designed two raised, padded feet which were attached and could slide along an aluminium bar which ran the length of the base of the trolley and gave adjustment to accommodate the decorative mouldings and carvings on the large variety of picture frames they would be employed to support.

He also designed the wheelbase to slide back when the trolley was lifted off the ground, either to install or de-install a painting. This meant that the padded feet could be brought right up to the wall making it possible to lift the picture straight off or onto the wall brackets from the trolley in most situations. They could then be slid back into position before being lowered to the ground giving the trolleys maximum stability for moving around the gallery when loaded, with large pictures.

Also, unlike the A frame in Munich which was just lifted from underneath by the stacker. These trolleys had a compartment designed into the framework underneath which snugly housed the tines of the stacker. There was also a bar which allowed the stacker and the trolley to be coupled together giving us the insurance the trolley could not slip of the tines with a painting in situ.

In 2004 the first prototype stacker trolley arrived at the gallery and proved itself invaluable in the day to day work of the art handling department. We discovered that not only was the trolley making the installation of large paintings easier for art handlers, but it also gave the curators a secure way of viewing a painting against the wall before settling on the height at which they intended to hang it.

The process before this involved padding out the tines of a stacker. Lifting the picture off a trolley manually and balancing it on those tines while it was precariously lifted into position. If especially large, one or two technicians were needed up on ladders to keep the balance at the top of the painting.

Now, a picture could be brought into position and lifted to the desired height without the added complication of ladders and technicians obscuring the view of the painting on the wall. It also often resulted in less handling for the pictures as they can be stored temporarily on the trolley until they were needed again.

Six months after the arrival of the first prototype we added another two improved versions of the first prototype to our growing collection of in house designed equipment. We eventually donated the original prototype to The National Museum Cardiff and have replaced the two trolleys which arrived after it with new improved versions, all of which were designed by Patrick.

We now have eight stacker trolleys, including two smaller units for installing smaller paintings at height. (One of which has been designed to double up specifically for the installation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Cartoon NG6337. ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist.”)

Wheel units no longer slide but swivel and several of the units have top bars which only lift vertically. Between them they cover most of the paintings within the collection that are better suited to being stackered into position rather than lifted manually. They are also regularly used as temporary storage units helping us to keep down the manual handling of large paintings to a bare minimum.

All in all, our stacker trolleys have proved an indispensable tool in the safe handling of large paintings. They continue to aid us in the installation, movement and storage of our larger paintings with an ease and simplicity we could hardly have imagined when the department started back in 1992.

Danny Metcalf Senior Art Handler

'''Blue Equipment'''

As this includes the most technically challenging works in the collection, the process and equipment used to move these objects also tends to be the most complicated. The main piece of equipment used in a blue move is the blue hoist. This item is essentially a large lifting and transportation device that also includes a significant working at height capability and several features to ease the operation and protect the object in transport.

Essentially though the concept for the blue hoist is very similar to the silver categories stacker trolley. In keeping with our general approach to large equipment within the Gallery site, the design of the blue hoist is modular. As with the stacker trolley, the lifting “engine” of the hoist is provided by a standard, 2000kgs stacker which marries with the hoist in a similar way to the Stacker trolley. The use of this approach has meant that the design could originally be more easily developed by the department as more complex elements, such as a hydraulic capability, could be ignored. The design also includes two working at height access towers that join with the main hoist body to provide access for the team. Tower outriggers (as found in standard mobile scaffold platforms) are not necessary as the main body of the hoist provides the stability. These towers can be swapped out for the GR12 MEWPS accordingly, at least one MEWP always being needed to perform other functions with the hoist.

The design also includes a movable tyne system that is arranged in all three axis allowing the position of the hoist to be replicated for each move whilst the tynes go and “grab” the object. In addition, two “picture clamps” are situated at the top of the hoist. These can be adjusted to take into account the width of a picture (up to a maximum of 5.5 metres) and are used to hold the painting vertically when the works are moved (something vital for the moving of altarpieces).

The hoist has eliminated the need for manual lifting of the largest objects in the collection, however the operation still involves a significant use of the teams’ resource with at least 6 technicians required for a blue move.

In addition to the hoist, blue move equipment also includes other items such as the picture carrying “towers”. These are large, triangular shaped carrying scaffolds that are used to move objects through specific routes of the Gallery or to free the use of the blue hoist, allowing multiple blue moves in one session (something that has become more frequent).

== Equipment ==

The art handling department deploys several general and bespoke pieces of equipment to carry out our role. Our approach has been to develop the processes and concepts for our tasks and then to match the equipment to our needs. This has led to a significant design program within the department over many years that has resulted in original design solutions and models of equipment that have then been improved upon. These include the following:

'''The Standard Picture Trolley'''

Associated with the yellow category move, our standard trolley was first developed in 1998 as a general-use piece of equipment assigned to art handling teams. The trolley is durable enough to transport all categories of pictures within the collection but is primarily used to transport multiple works simultaneously. The trolley also has the capacity to safely carry tools and materials for the team whilst transporting pictures. The original design has recently been upgraded to a new model by Tom Hemming, one of our team supervisors.

'''The Stacker Trolley'''

Associated with the Aluminium move, this picture trolley is used to transport and install larger category works. It is designed for one painting at a time and links with a hydraulic stacker to ease installation for the team. This design has undergone several modifications and variants.

'''The Case Roller'''

This piece of equipment was developed by the team to facilitate the unpacking of paintings from their cases. Most picture cases (used for external transport) must be laid flat to be unpacked and this usually requires a significant physical effort. The case roller acts as a quarter round lever and preparation table that makes this operation significantly easier.

'''The Blue Hoist'''

The blue hoist is a large, multi-functional picture transporter and installer that we developed to deal with the largest works in the collection. It is designed to register with our altarpiece display system and has features such as adjustable picture clamps made to hold a work in perfect vertical orientation for transport.

We also use a large range of common equipment normally found within art handling teams. These include J bars for cases, mobile packing tables, skoots and skates, weigh pallets and for working at height we use Mobile Elevated Work Platforms or MEWPS.

The standard model MEWP we use is the Genie GR12. This model has the right weight to height ratio necessary for our gallery environment. We have two of these and they have completely replaced the use of ladders and made redundant the use of scaffold. Step ladders are still occasionally used under normal, health and safety protocols.

== Complicated Installations ==

As mentioned in our category system, the art handling department adopts a three-part system of classification for each artwork in the collection. The blue category includes the largest and heaviest works that also provide the biggest technical challenge to us. Most of these works are large altarpieces or canvases that exceed the limits imposed on the other categories, and special equipment (namely in the form of the blue hoist) has been developed to deal with these moves.

However, there are several moves that can be considered exceptionally significant even within the terms of the blue category and these we call complicated installations. This category of move usually requires further processes or equipment designs to be developed, including some intervention to support the object itself. Usually this is due to the fragility of the object involved with respect to its size but can also be due to display requirements, such as a particular framing approach. A good example of this category is the requirements for the large painting by Sebastiano del Piombo The Raising of Lazarus (NG1).

NG1 is a painting with significant conservation issues around its structure that have caused considerable problems when it was necessary to move the work. The picture was originally a large altarpiece painted on a thick wooden support (exact nature unknown) which was then “transferred” during the 18th century whilst in the possession of the French royal court. The transferring process simply involves removing the original wooden support and replacing it with a canvas one. However, over time this caused significant conservation issues and when it became the responsibility of The National Gallery art handling department to move it (late 20th century) the process necessary to do so was too precarious to carry out without risking damage to the painting. A new process was necessary and would involve designing a support system for the painting which could then work with the newly designed blue hoist.

[[File:NG1moveRoom9_32.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_50.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_56.jpg|300px]]

 

'''New structural support for NG1'''

We had already adopted a possible solution in other altarpieces. This involved designing an aluminium “cage” that would fit around the painting as a permanent feature. This would then replace the picture frame as the standard support for the work, meaning the painting could be safely de-framed (necessary for NG1 in particular). In addition, a system of four “screens” was designed that could attach to the new cage. These would wrap around the front of the work where strategically placed soft pads would gently hold the surface of the work in place whilst it was moved (the main issue being the movement of the surface on the canvas). This support system could be applied whilst the work was hanging and would provide protection against the normal art handling techniques such as “bowling” (the re-orientation of a work from one axis to another). This also meant that the main display frame became a “veneer” for appearance only, as the structural load of the work was taken by the new support frame. With this arrangement, the work could now be de-installed and moved using the blue hoist system as described in the blue category.

'''Installing the new display frame'''

At the time of the development of the support system for NG1, we also discussed the possibility of a new display frame that would fit around it and reproduce the main altarpiece form its original location in a church in Italy. However, it would be several more years before this project began, eventually being realised due to the picture’s involvement in the gallery exhibition of Sebastiano and Michelangelo in 2017.

This project added another level of complexity to this move as it involved the installation of an extremely large frame in four parts, placed around the painting once the work itself had already been installed. To make this possible we developed an installation system that “registered” with the cage of the painting when installed.

The new systems have proved to be very successful and have allowed the painting to be moved as required (something we had stopped doing prior to the development of the process). However, it remains possibly the most complicated of moves necessary at The National Gallery, made more so by its very impressive display frame.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

[[File:NG1unframedB.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframedC.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframed.jpg|300px]]

 

== Loan Preparation ==

As a department we are central to the loan programme and we work closely with several key departments including collection registrars, curatorial, conservation, framing and photography.

The loan process begins with the collection registrars who receive loan requests from museums and galleries across the world.

This in turn triggers a whole process. Art handling becomes heavily involved once a case order is received from one of the collection registrars. For over 25 years, we worked with Kent Services Limited (KSL) as a supplier of cases to the gallery, which we used to loan works from the collection. Sadly, in late 2020 they ceased trading. We now have a stock of cases they we purchased from KSL and we fit them out with Polyurethane open cell foam (grade S275) and Plastazote LD45 for each painting in the collection that goes on loan.

The case order form contains key information such as the medium, framed dimensions and conservation requirements. We use this information and some other vital details to allocate a suitable case from our stock. We may have to transport the case from offsite storage, then fit out that case, ready for loan. The last stage of this part of the process is to create an invoice for the borrower as they pay for the rental of the case for the duration of the loan.

Later in the loan process we schedule the removal of works from display that are going on loan. This will mean a minor or major rehang of that gallery and we liaise with the relevant curator in order to complete this work. They supply us with a plan, usually a visual document, and we check this and translate the details into TMS. This enable the art handlers to have a worksheet to work from and refer to. We also provide labels for each work, they are written by the curator in question but checked and printed by us, ready for the hang.

This hang is organised in advance and considers any conservation or framing work that needs to take place before going on loan. If a work is not on display it is moved from storage to conservation for pre-loan checks and for the work to be carried out.

We organise the packing of works and coordinate the presence of a Conservator in order to check the painting right before it is packed into the case. Finally, when the case is collected at handling is present for the moving and loading.

When a painting comes back from loan this process happens in reverse and we organise each stage of this process, liaising with, and physically moving the painting and rehanging it in the gallery.

Over the course of a normal year we loan approximately 100 paintings from the collection. Therefore, this process happens multiple times and on any one day there are several loans at various stages in this process.

Louise Marlborough, Administrator

The Collection

2023-04-25T15:11:23Z

Lmarlborough:

This section describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated/bespoke examples (NG6337 etc) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s collection of art consists mainly of western European paintings from the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection does include some sculptural objects, but the painting collection is its primary focus. Within this area of paintings are a wide variety of works with differing physical characteristics. These vary from early renaissance frescoes and panels (on a range of wooden supports) to many works on canvas and works on paper.

These works vary enormously in terms of mass and durability. For example, the collection includes very large and complex altarpieces, constructed from large wooden sections that can weigh up to 500kgs, to works on paper such as the Leonardo cartoon which are extremely ephemeral and require specific handling and display solutions. Paradoxically, large works of significant mass are themselves extremely vulnerable to movement by virtue of their structure working against the material they are made of when they are manipulated.

The role of the art handling department is to create safe systems of operations that we can use when moving the collection for any purpose. Any system that we develop needs to be understood by the art handling team as well as being reliable and repeatable. It also needs to follow the best conservation practice as described to us by our conservation team at the gallery.

The need for repeatable systems is due to the volume of moves that are undertaken each year with the collection. On average, around 15,000 moves of art works occur within the site of The National Gallery each year, all undertaken by the art handling team. This covers all aspects of our work, including basic moves throughout the gallery site, thousands of separate installations and preparation of works from the collection when loaned to other museums throughout the world.

Our aim is to create working systems that can safely cope with this volume of work whilst also being measurable. This is very important for the standard of our work as though we do create individual solutions to specific problems, we also need to know that our team is operating within a well understood framework from which we can confidently make decisions about the work in our care.

To facilitate our approach to the collection, we have developed a technical classification system that describes the art handling requirements for each individual object within the collection. This system breaks the collection down into three categories and names each category after a colour, either yellow, blue or silver.

Each of the categories assumes some simple characteristics for each object. Essentially weight and size are the main determining factors, the record of which category a work is placed in can be found on the individual record for each artwork held in the main collection database (TMS) under the art handling section. Within this record further, more detailed information can be included (please refer to the database description for further information).

The use of a largely generic classification system then allows us to design specific handling solutions to each category. In turn, the problems of handling and installing a specific object can be seen within this framework. The nature of the collection at the gallery has meant that such an approach is possible since the movement of large numbers of works that have similar physical characteristics is essentially the same. It also means that specific, individual solutions can be found to unique problems that can be seen within the context of the main framework.

A crucial element to the system is to develop the correct equipment alongside the correct process and approach. The art handling department has a long-standing equipment development program (now more than 20 years old) that designs and has manufactured specific equipment relevant to each of the categories.

It is worth noting that we apply the same or similar approach to our exhibitions where possible, however the requirements of lenders and the type of objects that may be included in our shows means that a more variable response is often necessary (please refer to exhibitions). This though can still be referred to the general principals established by our system. In the following pages we describe the processes and equipment for each of the categories.

[[File:Room32.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Colour Category System ==

Due to the nature of the picture collection at The National Gallery, it is possible to categorise paintings according to the actions necessary for de/installation. This has led us to group works into three categories for this purpose, which are as follows.

Although there are exceptions to these categories, nearly every object in the collection can be group in one of these sections. Our approach to designing installation and transportation solutions is informed by this system.

'''Standard Manual Lift or Yellow Move'''

The yellow move category encompasses the simplest moves we are required to undertake. The category includes all works that can be manually handled over small distances by two art handlers, or can be installed without the need for additional equipment to elevate the painting into position.

The category does not necessarily state the characteristics of the works it includes but generally it refers to paintings weighing under 60kgs. The size of the work is also not such a significant factor as quite large paintings can be included if it is determined they fall within the ease of handling required.

The yellow category contains around 60% of the works within the gallery's collection and will form the majority of moves throughout the year. Using the correct equipment associated with the category (as listed below) multiple moves of paintings can occur simultaneously and this is frequently found to be the case when large gallery hangs occur. Commonly the works within the category are installed using a plate system or The National Gallery gadget system (please refer to installation methods) and additional security measures are also applied at installation.

'''Medium Lift or Silver Move'''

The silver move category covers most of the mid-range installations and moves that we undertake. This category probably accounts for around 20 to 25% of all moves that occur and requires the use of a minimum of three art handlers plus the designated equipment (as described here).

For these moves, we set a limit of 150kgs in weight for the object being moved. Most of the works that fall into this category also tend to be large in area with a major dimension usually exceeding 2 metres.

A lower weight limit is not set as the category considers the physical dimensions of the paintings involved as well as their weight. Often, we find canvas paintings can be light enough to fall within the yellow category but of such dimensions as to create significant problems when manually handling them.

Works within this category are usually transported singularly on stacker trolleys (see equipment). There are a variety of hanging methods employed when installing these works though the most common are supporting brackets and plates or a suspension system (within the National gallery chains are employed). Usually, given the size of the works, standard security is employed when on display.

'''Heavy Lift or Blue Move'''

The Blue move category encompasses the largest and most logistically challenging objects within the National Gallery’s collection.

The most common example of works found in this category are the group of large altarpieces dating from the early renaissance section of the main Collection. These works are usually the heaviest pieces, being up to 500kgs in weight but are also very large objects in surface area with a complex construction.

Conservation issues within the altarpieces can also be significant and therefore this category includes a number of bespoke handling solutions to individual objects (see the additional projects described in this section including for NG1).

The category also includes all the largest canvas works found in other sections of the collection. These works are not necessarily significant in weight, but it has been determined that their scale precludes their inclusion in the silver category and therefore they fall within blue moves.

Large moves described by this category are not an everyday occurrence, however, moves of all category of works have increased significantly over the last few years and the biggest volume increase has probably been within this section. In total, works within this category account for around 10% of the main floor display but when moved can account for a significantly greater percentage of the Departments resources and time. For example, NG1 (described elsewhere in this section) takes around 3 days to reposition and the majority of the AH team to carry out this task.

'''Yellow Equipment'''

As the works associated with this category can be manually handled within the short distances of a gallery or packing room, the equipment required consists of two forms of transportation necessary to move these paintings across larger distances within the two main buildings that make up the National Gallery.

The first and most common piece of equipment used for this purpose is the NG standard Picture Trolley. The standard picture trolley is a medium sized transportation trolley that is used for a large variety of moves and also for temporary storage in the Gallery’s stores. The original design was created by the department more than 20 years ago and consists of 4 units. The design, though generic in nature, was conceived to allow the best ease of movement throughout the Gallery site whilst also maximising the carrying capacity of the trolley. Its durability is such that it can also be used to carry works outside of the yellow category.

Part of the working philosophy of the team is that our art handlers carry only a very minimal amount of equipment on their person (basically a tape measure and standard screwdriver). The yellow trolleys have therefore been designed with a storage capacity for other tools and hanging equipment. This consists of two draws which are located at either end of the trolley.

The yellow trolleys are a standard, daily use piece of equipment which have served us well for many years. However, in keeping with our habit of revising our equipment and improving where necessary, a new design has been developed by one of our team supervisors with the first production model recently delivered. Here is his description of the new design and how it differs from the original model.

 

'''Yellow Trollies'''

The yellow trollies are key to how our teams operate in the gallery and the opportunity to re-think the design was not only a chance to make some physical modifications but also an opportunity to reconsider how we use them and make positive changes to our working practice. The trollies are used for the majority of picture movements, rehangs and exhibitions so the primary aims of my design were to increase the capacity for carrying multiple works, improve access throughout the gallery and to provide teams with the correct tools and fixings for each job.

The original design was very successful and the physical changes I made were relatively minor. I added a horizontal extension allowing us to transport larger paintings, slimmed the overall width of the trolley by 50mm to make it easier to pass through doorways, gave it radial corners to remove the sharp edges and increased the clearance around the wheels allowing us to fit brakes. The trolley itself is made from aluminium rather than the original steel design with a 3mm steel deck replacing the 18mm ply and weighting the bottom to ensure stability and provide the necessary weight for the vibration dampening function of the wheels. For the overall structure I reduced the distance between the two outer uprights which both increases the ability to stack paintings side by side but also increases the central space on the deck for items that need to travel flat.

Working across a large site such as the National Gallery one key issue is ensuring that teams have the right tools and hardware ready to hand for each job. We try to minimise the equipment carried by individual technicians and so the majority of our fixings, screws and tooling are kept in the two drawers of each yellow trolley. Maintaining stock and making sure everything goes back in the right place can be difficult during busy periods and a regular frustration for our teams is tracking back and forth across the gallery in search of missing items. For the new trolley I have designed a removable insert for the fixings drawer. The intention is to provide two inserts for each trolley with fixings specific to the two different hanging systems we work with; either hanging from chains or screwing fixings directly into the wall. Through the act of collecting the right drawer insert for each job I am hoping that the process of acknowledging the contents and stock before setting off will become automatic, thereby reducing the frustration of finding items missing. The inserts also double as a tool box that can be removed for easy access during installs and to be restocked at the end of each day.

Alongside the project of designing the trolley we also repurposed a small existing storage area to function as a tooling station and essentially a garage for the trolleys to be stored in. This area has become key to the function of the new trolley design and intended usage, it puts all of the stock, tooling and resources in one place and the layout is arranged specifically around ease of access with a work bench for storing and stocking the drawer inserts. Providing a space for the trolleys to be returned to at the end of each day and collected from every morning may seem incredibly simple but working across such a large site with multiple picture stores and two tooling areas represents a subtle but fundamental change to how we think about the trolleys and how we use them on a daily basis

Tom Hemming, Team Supervisor

[[File:NewYellowTrolley22.jpeg|500px|left]]
 

'''Picture Bin'''

The second type of transportation equipment used for yellow moves is the picture bin. The concept for this consists of any kind of box on wheels able to carry small works by placing dividers between each work to allow “bridging”. The department has designed a standard National Gallery picture bin and has two units available to it. However, it is possible to quickly and easily produced this equipment, constructed from MDF or wood and ply and have at least another 10 units made in this way that were produced during temporary periods of very high picture movements (for example emptying stores). The bins are also very useful as temporary storage units where small works can be safely held and accounted for within a proper storage facility.

Unlike the yellow trolleys, there is obviously a physical limit to the size of the works that can be held within a bin. Normally this tends to be paintings with a major frame dimension of no more than 75cms, the works will also be required to weigh less than 25kgs each.

[[File:PictureBin.jpg|280px|left]]

 

'''Silver Equipment'''

The two primary pieces of equipment used in this category of move is a standard, 2000kg manually operated hydraulic stacker (maximum platform height of 4.5ms) and the National Gallery stacker trolley, designed by the department for this purpose. The aim of the stacker trolley is to transport the painting to the installation site and then be attached to the manual stacker so providing the lifting power to install or de-install the work. This operation removes most of the manual handling of the work itself, so providing a good health and safety option for the department as well as improving basic preventative conservation needs when transporting larger paintings within the gallery.

This type of equipment, from the original prototype, has been extensively remodelled and improved over a number of years through the creation of 7 different models or Marques. This includes designs which relate to specific roles necessary in the gallery or specific objects in the collection. For example, the Leonardo Cartoon is displayed using a specially reinforced, glazed steel box. This weighs about 190kgs so nominally would take it outside the silver category. However as this is the most efficient method we have of installing the work then a specific stacker trolley was created for this role.

When using this method of transportation and installation, it is often necessary for team members to work at height. Therefore,

the third piece of equipment associated with the category is a MEWP, working at height runabout. The type we use is the Genie GR 12. This piece of equipment needs to be versatile and sensitive enough to work around the stacker trolley set-up and we have found it has almost completely eliminated the use of step ladders within the procedure, an original goal of the process design.

The original concept for the equipment came from one of our senior technicians and the following statement by him describes how a prototype design was first agreed:

'''Silver Trolley'''

We have been using our stacker trolleys for 16 years now and they have proved a unique and practical way of undertaking the installation of large paintings within The National Gallery's collection. They have also become indispensable to the installation of smaller paintings at height in galleries where the pictures are double hung.

The story about how they came into being, highlights how the art handling department has been able to gain inspiration to create new methods of working, through visits to other Institutions around the world. For example, while helping on the de-installation of the Dennis Mahon exhibition up in Edinburgh in 1997 I noticed that the technicians there were using table tennis tables which could be folded up and moved around on wheels for packing and unpacking works of art. Our portable packing tables at the time were by comparison heavy, cumbersome and time consuming to move. As a result, we sourced our own table tennis tables and have been using them ever since as have a growing number of other galleries around the world.

This brings us back to the stacker trolley. On a courier trip to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich in November 1999 with a large full length portrait by Van Dyck, I witnessed the conservators (who also doubled as the art handling team there) place the painting face in on a large wooden A frame trolley, which was taken up to the galleries after the conservation check had been completed. Once the position for the installation had been established two of the team went up ladders on either side and a third member proceeded to pick up the whole A frame with a genie superlift stacker. The trolley was steadied by the two staff members up the ladders as it rose to the height at which the picture was to be hung. Once at height the two technicians hooked up the picture to the wire hanging system which was used throughout the gallery, unstrapped the painting and slowly lowered the A Frame while the technicians supported the picture allowing it back to the wall gently as the A frame descended. I was struck by how little additional handling was needed and how easily the installation had proceeded.

Consequently, on returning to The National Gallery I suggested we might try and develop a trolley which would be designed solely for this purpose. We had just had our own in house designed regular picture trolleys fabricated for us by a firm up in Tamworth near Birmingham and were confident they would be able to make these new trolleys for us.

It took roughly two and a half years before we were in a place where finances and time came together to allow us to start designing the first National Gallery stacker trolleys. The initial idea had come from my courier trip to Munich, but it was Patrick O’Sullivan who was to undertake drawing up the design along with solving the nuts and bolts issues creating a new trolley like this required. We discussed the features a bespoke trolley of this sort should have, and Patrick incorporated these into his design.

Like our new picture trolleys, the stacker trolleys were to be adjustable giving them as much flexibility over the sizes of pictures they could accommodate as possible. They were designed with a top bar which could extend both vertically (like our regular picture trolleys) but in addition horizontally on both sides. Patrick also designed two raised, padded feet which were attached and could slide along an aluminium bar which ran the length of the base of the trolley and gave adjustment to accommodate the decorative mouldings and carvings on the large variety of picture frames they would be employed to support.

He also designed the wheelbase to slide back when the trolley was lifted off the ground, either to install or de-install a painting. This meant that the padded feet could be brought right up to the wall making it possible to lift the picture straight off or onto the wall brackets from the trolley in most situations. They could then be slid back into position before being lowered to the ground giving the trolleys maximum stability for moving around the gallery when loaded, with large pictures.

Also, unlike the A frame in Munich which was just lifted from underneath by the stacker. These trolleys had a compartment designed into the framework underneath which snugly housed the tines of the stacker. There was also a bar which allowed the stacker and the trolley to be coupled together giving us the insurance the trolley could not slip of the tines with a painting in situ.

In 2004 the first prototype stacker trolley arrived at the gallery and proved itself invaluable in the day to day work of the art handling department. We discovered that not only was the trolley making the installation of large paintings easier for art handlers, but it also gave the curators a secure way of viewing a painting against the wall before settling on the height at which they intended to hang it.

The process before this involved padding out the tines of a stacker. Lifting the picture off a trolley manually and balancing it on those tines while it was precariously lifted into position. If especially large, one or two technicians were needed up on ladders to keep the balance at the top of the painting.

Now, a picture could be brought into position and lifted to the desired height without the added complication of ladders and technicians obscuring the view of the painting on the wall. It also often resulted in less handling for the pictures as they can be stored temporarily on the trolley until they were needed again.

Six months after the arrival of the first prototype we added another two improved versions of the first prototype to our growing collection of in house designed equipment. We eventually donated the original prototype to The National Museum Cardiff and have replaced the two trolleys which arrived after it with new improved versions, all of which were designed by Patrick.

We now have eight stacker trolleys, including two smaller units for installing smaller paintings at height. (One of which has been designed to double up specifically for the installation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Cartoon NG6337. ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist.”)

Wheel units no longer slide but swivel and several of the units have top bars which only lift vertically. Between them they cover most of the paintings within the collection that are better suited to being stackered into position rather than lifted manually. They are also regularly used as temporary storage units helping us to keep down the manual handling of large paintings to a bare minimum.

All in all, our stacker trolleys have proved an indispensable tool in the safe handling of large paintings. They continue to aid us in the installation, movement and storage of our larger paintings with an ease and simplicity we could hardly have imagined when the department started back in 1992.

Danny Metcalf Senior Art Handler

'''Blue Equipment'''

As this includes the most technically challenging works in the collection, the process and equipment used to move these objects also tends to be the most complicated. The main piece of equipment used in a blue move is the blue hoist. This item is essentially a large lifting and transportation device that also includes a significant working at height capability and several features to ease the operation and protect the object in transport.

Essentially though the concept for the blue hoist is very similar to the silver categories stacker trolley. In keeping with our general approach to large equipment within the Gallery site, the design of the blue hoist is modular. As with the stacker trolley, the lifting “engine” of the hoist is provided by a standard, 2000kgs stacker which marries with the hoist in a similar way to the Stacker trolley. The use of this approach has meant that the design could originally be more easily developed by the department as more complex elements, such as a hydraulic capability, could be ignored. The design also includes two working at height access towers that join with the main hoist body to provide access for the team. Tower outriggers (as found in standard mobile scaffold platforms) are not necessary as the main body of the hoist provides the stability. These towers can be swapped out for the GR12 MEWPS accordingly, at least one MEWP always being needed to perform other functions with the hoist.

The design also includes a movable tyne system that is arranged in all three axis allowing the position of the hoist to be replicated for each move whilst the tynes go and “grab” the object. In addition, two “picture clamps” are situated at the top of the hoist. These can be adjusted to take into account the width of a picture (up to a maximum of 5.5 metres) and are used to hold the painting vertically when the works are moved (something vital for the moving of altarpieces).

The hoist has eliminated the need for manual lifting of the largest objects in the collection, however the operation still involves a significant use of the teams’ resource with at least 6 technicians required for a blue move.

In addition to the hoist, blue move equipment also includes other items such as the picture carrying “towers”. These are large, triangular shaped carrying scaffolds that are used to move objects through specific routes of the Gallery or to free the use of the blue hoist, allowing multiple blue moves in one session (something that has become more frequent).

== Equipment ==

The art handling department deploys several general and bespoke pieces of equipment to carry out our role. Our approach has been to develop the processes and concepts for our tasks and then to match the equipment to our needs. This has led to a significant design program within the department over many years that has resulted in original design solutions and models of equipment that have then been improved upon. These include the following:

'''The Standard Picture Trolley'''

Associated with the yellow category move, our standard trolley was first developed in 1998 as a general-use piece of equipment assigned to art handling teams. The trolley is durable enough to transport all categories of pictures within the collection but is primarily used to transport multiple works simultaneously. The trolley also has the capacity to safely carry tools and materials for the team whilst transporting pictures. The original design has recently been upgraded to a new model by Tom Hemming, one of our team supervisors.

'''The Stacker Trolley'''

Associated with the Aluminium move, this picture trolley is used to transport and install larger category works. It is designed for one painting at a time and links with a hydraulic stacker to ease installation for the team. This design has undergone several modifications and variants.

'''The Case Roller'''

This piece of equipment was developed by the team to facilitate the unpacking of paintings from their cases. Most picture cases (used for external transport) must be laid flat to be unpacked and this usually requires a significant physical effort. The case roller acts as a quarter round lever and preparation table that makes this operation significantly easier.

'''The Blue Hoist'''

The blue hoist is a large, multi-functional picture transporter and installer that we developed to deal with the largest works in the collection. It is designed to register with our altarpiece display system and has features such as adjustable picture clamps made to hold a work in perfect vertical orientation for transport.

We also use a large range of common equipment normally found within art handling teams. These include J bars for cases, mobile packing tables, skoots and skates, weigh pallets and for working at height we use Mobile Elevated Work Platforms or MEWPS.

The standard model MEWP we use is the Genie GR12. This model has the right weight to height ratio necessary for our gallery environment. We have two of these and they have completely replaced the use of ladders and made redundant the use of scaffold. Step ladders are still occasionally used under normal, health and safety protocols.

== Complicated Installations ==

As mentioned in our category system, the art handling department adopts a three-part system of classification for each artwork in the collection. The blue category includes the largest and heaviest works that also provide the biggest technical challenge to us. Most of these works are large altarpieces or canvases that exceed the limits imposed on the other categories, and special equipment (namely in the form of the blue hoist) has been developed to deal with these moves.

However, there are several moves that can be considered exceptionally significant even within the terms of the blue category and these we call complicated installations. This category of move usually requires further processes or equipment designs to be developed, including some intervention to support the object itself. Usually this is due to the fragility of the object involved with respect to its size but can also be due to display requirements, such as a particular framing approach. A good example of this category is the requirements for the large painting by Sebastiano del Piombo The Raising of Lazarus (NG1).

NG1 is a painting with significant conservation issues around its structure that have caused considerable problems when it was necessary to move the work. The picture was originally a large altarpiece painted on a thick wooden support (exact nature unknown) which was then “transferred” during the 18th century whilst in the possession of the French royal court. The transferring process simply involves removing the original wooden support and replacing it with a canvas one. However, over time this caused significant conservation issues and when it became the responsibility of The National Gallery art handling department to move it (late 20th century) the process necessary to do so was too precarious to carry out without risking damage to the painting. A new process was necessary and would involve designing a support system for the painting which could then work with the newly designed blue hoist.

[[File:NG1moveRoom9_32.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_50.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_56.jpg|300px]]

 

'''New structural support for NG1'''

We had already adopted a possible solution in other altarpieces. This involved designing an aluminium “cage” that would fit around the painting as a permanent feature. This would then replace the picture frame as the standard support for the work, meaning the painting could be safely de-framed (necessary for NG1 in particular). In addition, a system of four “screens” was designed that could attach to the new cage. These would wrap around the front of the work where strategically placed soft pads would gently hold the surface of the work in place whilst it was moved (the main issue being the movement of the surface on the canvas). This support system could be applied whilst the work was hanging and would provide protection against the normal art handling techniques such as “bowling” (the re-orientation of a work from one axis to another). This also meant that the main display frame became a “veneer” for appearance only, as the structural load of the work was taken by the new support frame. With this arrangement, the work could now be de-installed and moved using the blue hoist system as described in the blue category.

'''Installing the new display frame'''

At the time of the development of the support system for NG1, we also discussed the possibility of a new display frame that would fit around it and reproduce the main altarpiece form its original location in a church in Italy. However, it would be several more years before this project began, eventually being realised due to the picture’s involvement in the gallery exhibition of Sebastiano and Michelangelo in 2017.

This project added another level of complexity to this move as it involved the installation of an extremely large frame in four parts, placed around the painting once the work itself had already been installed. To make this possible we developed an installation system that “registered” with the cage of the painting when installed.

The new systems have proved to be very successful and have allowed the painting to be moved as required (something we had stopped doing prior to the development of the process). However, it remains possibly the most complicated of moves necessary at The National Gallery, made more so by its very impressive display frame.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

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== Loan Preparation ==

As a department we are central to the loan programme and we work closely with several key departments including collection registrars, curatorial, conservation, framing and photography.

The loan process begins with the collection registrars who receive loan requests from museums and galleries across the world.

This in turn triggers a whole process. Art handling becomes heavily involved once a case order is received from one of the collection registrars. For over 25 years, we worked with Kent Services Limited (KSL) as a supplier of cases to the gallery, which we used to loan works from the collection. Sadly, in late 2020 they ceased trading. We now have a stock of cases they we purchased from KSL and we fit them out with Polyurethane open cell foam (grade S275) and Plastazote LD45 for each painting in the collection that goes on loan.

The case order form contains key information such as the medium, framed dimensions and conservation requirements. We use this information and some other vital details to allocate a suitable case from our stock. We may have to transport the case from offsite storage, then fit out that case, ready for loan. The last stage of this part of the process is to create an invoice for the borrower as they pay for the rental of the case for the duration of the loan.

Later in the loan process we schedule the removal of works from display that are going on loan. This will mean a minor or major rehang of that gallery and we liaise with the relevant curator in order to complete this work. They supply us with a plan, usually a visual document, and we check this and translate the details into TMS. This enable the art handlers to have a worksheet to work from and refer to. We also provide labels for each work, they are written by the curator in question but checked and printed by us, ready for the hang.

This hang is organised in advance and considers any conservation or framing work that needs to take place before going on loan. If a work is not on display it is moved from storage to conservation for pre-loan checks and for the work to be carried out.

We organise the packing of works and coordinate the presence of a Conservator in order to check the painting right before it is packed into the case. Finally, when the case is collected at handling is present for the moving and loading.

When a painting comes back from loan this process happens in reverse and we organise each stage of this process, liaising with, and physically moving the painting and rehanging it in the gallery.

Over the course of a normal year we loan approximately 100 paintings from the collection. Therefore, this process happens multiple times and on any one day there are several loans at various stages in this process.

Louise Marlborough, Administrator

The Collection

2023-04-25T15:10:38Z

Lmarlborough:

This section describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated/bespoke examples (NG6337 etc) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s collection of art consists mainly of western European paintings from the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection does include some sculptural objects, but the painting collection is its primary focus. Within this area of paintings are a wide variety of works with differing physical characteristics. These vary from early renaissance frescoes and panels (on a range of wooden supports) to many works on canvas and works on paper.

These works vary enormously in terms of mass and durability. For example, the collection includes very large and complex altarpieces, constructed from large wooden sections that can weigh up to 500kgs, to works on paper such as the Leonardo cartoon which are extremely ephemeral and require specific handling and display solutions. Paradoxically, large works of significant mass are themselves extremely vulnerable to movement by virtue of their structure working against the material they are made of when they are manipulated.

The role of the art handling department is to create safe systems of operations that we can use when moving the collection for any purpose. Any system that we develop needs to be understood by the art handling team as well as being reliable and repeatable. It also needs to follow the best conservation practice as described to us by our conservation team at the gallery.

The need for repeatable systems is due to the volume of moves that are undertaken each year with the collection. On average, around 15,000 moves of art works occur within the site of The National Gallery each year, all undertaken by the art handling team. This covers all aspects of our work, including basic moves throughout the gallery site, thousands of separate installations and preparation of works from the collection when loaned to other museums throughout the world.

Our aim is to create working systems that can safely cope with this volume of work whilst also being measurable. This is very important for the standard of our work as though we do create individual solutions to specific problems, we also need to know that our team is operating within a well understood framework from which we can confidently make decisions about the work in our care.

To facilitate our approach to the collection, we have developed a technical classification system that describes the art handling requirements for each individual object within the collection. This system breaks the collection down into three categories and names each category after a colour, either yellow, blue or silver.

Each of the categories assumes some simple characteristics for each object. Essentially weight and size are the main determining factors, the record of which category a work is placed in can be found on the individual record for each artwork held in the main collection database (TMS) under the art handling section. Within this record further, more detailed information can be included (please refer to the database description for further information).

The use of a largely generic classification system then allows us to design specific handling solutions to each category. In turn, the problems of handling and installing a specific object can be seen within this framework. The nature of the collection at the gallery has meant that such an approach is possible since the movement of large numbers of works that have similar physical characteristics is essentially the same. It also means that specific, individual solutions can be found to unique problems that can be seen within the context of the main framework.

A crucial element to the system is to develop the correct equipment alongside the correct process and approach. The art handling department has a long-standing equipment development program (now more than 20 years old) that designs and has manufactured specific equipment relevant to each of the categories.

It is worth noting that we apply the same or similar approach to our exhibitions where possible, however the requirements of lenders and the type of objects that may be included in our shows means that a more variable response is often necessary (please refer to exhibitions). This though can still be referred to the general principals established by our system. In the following pages we describe the processes and equipment for each of the categories.

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== Colour Category System ==

Due to the nature of the picture collection at The National Gallery, it is possible to categorise paintings according to the actions necessary for de/installation. This has led us to group works into three categories for this purpose, which are as follows.

Although there are exceptions to these categories, nearly every object in the collection can be group in one of these sections. Our approach to designing installation and transportation solutions is informed by this system.

'''Standard Manual Lift or Yellow Move'''

The yellow move category encompasses the simplest moves we are required to undertake. The category includes all works that can be manually handled over small distances by two art handlers, or can be installed without the need for additional equipment to elevate the painting into position.

The category does not necessarily state the characteristics of the works it includes but generally it refers to paintings weighing under 60kgs. The size of the work is also not such a significant factor as quite large paintings can be included if it is determined they fall within the ease of handling required.

The yellow category contains around 60% of the works within the gallery's collection and will form the majority of moves throughout the year. Using the correct equipment associated with the category (as listed below) multiple moves of paintings can occur simultaneously and this is frequently found to be the case when large gallery hangs occur. Commonly the works within the category are installed using a plate system or The National Gallery gadget system (please refer to installation methods) and additional security measures are also applied at installation.

'''Medium Lift or Silver Move'''

The silver move category covers most of the mid-range installations and moves that we undertake. This category probably accounts for around 20 to 25% of all moves that occur and requires the use of a minimum of three art handlers plus the designated equipment (as described here).

For these moves, we set a limit of 150kgs in weight for the object being moved. Most of the works that fall into this category also tend to be large in area with a major dimension usually exceeding 2 metres.

A lower weight limit is not set as the category considers the physical dimensions of the paintings involved as well as their weight. Often, we find canvas paintings can be light enough to fall within the yellow category but of such dimensions as to create significant problems when manually handling them.

Works within this category are usually transported singularly on stacker trolleys (see equipment). There are a variety of hanging methods employed when installing these works though the most common are supporting brackets and plates or a suspension system (within the National gallery chains are employed). Usually, given the size of the works, standard security is employed when on display.

'''Heavy Lift or Blue Move'''

The Blue move category encompasses the largest and most logistically challenging objects within the National Gallery’s collection.

The most common example of works found in this category are the group of large altarpieces dating from the early renaissance section of the main Collection. These works are usually the heaviest pieces, being up to 500kgs in weight but are also very large objects in surface area with a complex construction.

Conservation issues within the altarpieces can also be significant and therefore this category includes a number of bespoke handling solutions to individual objects (see the additional projects described in this section including for NG1).

The category also includes all the largest canvas works found in other sections of the collection. These works are not necessarily significant in weight, but it has been determined that their scale precludes their inclusion in the silver category and therefore they fall within blue moves.

Large moves described by this category are not an everyday occurrence, however, moves of all category of works have increased significantly over the last few years and the biggest volume increase has probably been within this section. In total, works within this category account for around 10% of the main floor display but when moved can account for a significantly greater percentage of the Departments resources and time. For example, NG1 (described elsewhere in this section) takes around 3 days to reposition and the majority of the AH team to carry out this task.

'''Yellow Equipment'''

As the works associated with this category can be manually handled within the short distances of a gallery or packing room, the equipment required consists of two forms of transportation necessary to move these paintings across larger distances within the two main buildings that make up the National Gallery.

The first and most common piece of equipment used for this purpose is the NG standard Picture Trolley. The standard picture trolley is a medium sized transportation trolley that is used for a large variety of moves and also for temporary storage in the Gallery’s stores. The original design was created by the department more than 20 years ago and consists of 4 units. The design, though generic in nature, was conceived to allow the best ease of movement throughout the Gallery site whilst also maximising the carrying capacity of the trolley. Its durability is such that it can also be used to carry works outside of the yellow category.

Part of the working philosophy of the team is that our art handlers carry only a very minimal amount of equipment on their person (basically a tape measure and standard screwdriver). The yellow trolleys have therefore been designed with a storage capacity for other tools and hanging equipment. This consists of two draws which are located at either end of the trolley.

The yellow trolleys are a standard, daily use piece of equipment which have served us well for many years. However, in keeping with our habit of revising our equipment and improving where necessary, a new design has been developed by one of our team supervisors with the first production model recently delivered. Here is his description of the new design and how it differs from the original model.

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'''Yellow Trollies'''

The yellow trollies are key to how our teams operate in the gallery and the opportunity to re-think the design was not only a chance to make some physical modifications but also an opportunity to reconsider how we use them and make positive changes to our working practice. The trollies are used for the majority of picture movements, rehangs and exhibitions so the primary aims of my design were to increase the capacity for carrying multiple works, improve access throughout the gallery and to provide teams with the correct tools and fixings for each job.

The original design was very successful and the physical changes I made were relatively minor. I added a horizontal extension allowing us to transport larger paintings, slimmed the overall width of the trolley by 50mm to make it easier to pass through doorways, gave it radial corners to remove the sharp edges and increased the clearance around the wheels allowing us to fit brakes. The trolley itself is made from aluminium rather than the original steel design with a 3mm steel deck replacing the 18mm ply and weighting the bottom to ensure stability and provide the necessary weight for the vibration dampening function of the wheels. For the overall structure I reduced the distance between the two outer uprights which both increases the ability to stack paintings side by side but also increases the central space on the deck for items that need to travel flat.

Working across a large site such as the National Gallery one key issue is ensuring that teams have the right tools and hardware ready to hand for each job. We try to minimise the equipment carried by individual technicians and so the majority of our fixings, screws and tooling are kept in the two drawers of each yellow trolley. Maintaining stock and making sure everything goes back in the right place can be difficult during busy periods and a regular frustration for our teams is tracking back and forth across the gallery in search of missing items. For the new trolley I have designed a removable insert for the fixings drawer. The intention is to provide two inserts for each trolley with fixings specific to the two different hanging systems we work with; either hanging from chains or screwing fixings directly into the wall. Through the act of collecting the right drawer insert for each job I am hoping that the process of acknowledging the contents and stock before setting off will become automatic, thereby reducing the frustration of finding items missing. The inserts also double as a tool box that can be removed for easy access during installs and to be restocked at the end of each day.

Alongside the project of designing the trolley we also repurposed a small existing storage area to function as a tooling station and essentially a garage for the trolleys to be stored in. This area has become key to the function of the new trolley design and intended usage, it puts all of the stock, tooling and resources in one place and the layout is arranged specifically around ease of access with a work bench for storing and stocking the drawer inserts. Providing a space for the trolleys to be returned to at the end of each day and collected from every morning may seem incredibly simple but working across such a large site with multiple picture stores and two tooling areas represents a subtle but fundamental change to how we think about the trolleys and how we use them on a daily basis

Tom Hemming, Team Supervisor

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'''Picture Bin'''

The second type of transportation equipment used for yellow moves is the picture bin. The concept for this consists of any kind of box on wheels able to carry small works by placing dividers between each work to allow “bridging”. The department has designed a standard National Gallery picture bin and has two units available to it. However, it is possible to quickly and easily produced this equipment, constructed from MDF or wood and ply and have at least another 10 units made in this way that were produced during temporary periods of very high picture movements (for example emptying stores). The bins are also very useful as temporary storage units where small works can be safely held and accounted for within a proper storage facility.

Unlike the yellow trolleys, there is obviously a physical limit to the size of the works that can be held within a bin. Normally this tends to be paintings with a major frame dimension of no more than 75cms, the works will also be required to weigh less than 25kgs each.

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'''Silver Equipment'''

The two primary pieces of equipment used in this category of move is a standard, 2000kg manually operated hydraulic stacker (maximum platform height of 4.5ms) and the National Gallery stacker trolley, designed by the department for this purpose. The aim of the stacker trolley is to transport the painting to the installation site and then be attached to the manual stacker so providing the lifting power to install or de-install the work. This operation removes most of the manual handling of the work itself, so providing a good health and safety option for the department as well as improving basic preventative conservation needs when transporting larger paintings within the gallery.

This type of equipment, from the original prototype, has been extensively remodelled and improved over a number of years through the creation of 7 different models or Marques. This includes designs which relate to specific roles necessary in the gallery or specific objects in the collection. For example, the Leonardo Cartoon is displayed using a specially reinforced, glazed steel box. This weighs about 190kgs so nominally would take it outside the silver category. However as this is the most efficient method we have of installing the work then a specific stacker trolley was created for this role.

When using this method of transportation and installation, it is often necessary for team members to work at height. Therefore,

the third piece of equipment associated with the category is a MEWP, working at height runabout. The type we use is the Genie GR 12. This piece of equipment needs to be versatile and sensitive enough to work around the stacker trolley set-up and we have found it has almost completely eliminated the use of step ladders within the procedure, an original goal of the process design.

The original concept for the equipment came from one of our senior technicians and the following statement by him describes how a prototype design was first agreed:

'''Silver Trolley'''

We have been using our stacker trolleys for 16 years now and they have proved a unique and practical way of undertaking the installation of large paintings within The National Gallery's collection. They have also become indispensable to the installation of smaller paintings at height in galleries where the pictures are double hung.

The story about how they came into being, highlights how the art handling department has been able to gain inspiration to create new methods of working, through visits to other Institutions around the world. For example, while helping on the de-installation of the Dennis Mahon exhibition up in Edinburgh in 1997 I noticed that the technicians there were using table tennis tables which could be folded up and moved around on wheels for packing and unpacking works of art. Our portable packing tables at the time were by comparison heavy, cumbersome and time consuming to move. As a result, we sourced our own table tennis tables and have been using them ever since as have a growing number of other galleries around the world.

This brings us back to the stacker trolley. On a courier trip to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich in November 1999 with a large full length portrait by Van Dyck, I witnessed the conservators (who also doubled as the art handling team there) place the painting face in on a large wooden A frame trolley, which was taken up to the galleries after the conservation check had been completed. Once the position for the installation had been established two of the team went up ladders on either side and a third member proceeded to pick up the whole A frame with a genie superlift stacker. The trolley was steadied by the two staff members up the ladders as it rose to the height at which the picture was to be hung. Once at height the two technicians hooked up the picture to the wire hanging system which was used throughout the gallery, unstrapped the painting and slowly lowered the A Frame while the technicians supported the picture allowing it back to the wall gently as the A frame descended. I was struck by how little additional handling was needed and how easily the installation had proceeded.

Consequently, on returning to The National Gallery I suggested we might try and develop a trolley which would be designed solely for this purpose. We had just had our own in house designed regular picture trolleys fabricated for us by a firm up in Tamworth near Birmingham and were confident they would be able to make these new trolleys for us.

It took roughly two and a half years before we were in a place where finances and time came together to allow us to start designing the first National Gallery stacker trolleys. The initial idea had come from my courier trip to Munich, but it was Patrick O’Sullivan who was to undertake drawing up the design along with solving the nuts and bolts issues creating a new trolley like this required. We discussed the features a bespoke trolley of this sort should have, and Patrick incorporated these into his design.

Like our new picture trolleys, the stacker trolleys were to be adjustable giving them as much flexibility over the sizes of pictures they could accommodate as possible. They were designed with a top bar which could extend both vertically (like our regular picture trolleys) but in addition horizontally on both sides. Patrick also designed two raised, padded feet which were attached and could slide along an aluminium bar which ran the length of the base of the trolley and gave adjustment to accommodate the decorative mouldings and carvings on the large variety of picture frames they would be employed to support.

He also designed the wheelbase to slide back when the trolley was lifted off the ground, either to install or de-install a painting. This meant that the padded feet could be brought right up to the wall making it possible to lift the picture straight off or onto the wall brackets from the trolley in most situations. They could then be slid back into position before being lowered to the ground giving the trolleys maximum stability for moving around the gallery when loaded, with large pictures.

Also, unlike the A frame in Munich which was just lifted from underneath by the stacker. These trolleys had a compartment designed into the framework underneath which snugly housed the tines of the stacker. There was also a bar which allowed the stacker and the trolley to be coupled together giving us the insurance the trolley could not slip of the tines with a painting in situ.

In 2004 the first prototype stacker trolley arrived at the gallery and proved itself invaluable in the day to day work of the art handling department. We discovered that not only was the trolley making the installation of large paintings easier for art handlers, but it also gave the curators a secure way of viewing a painting against the wall before settling on the height at which they intended to hang it.

The process before this involved padding out the tines of a stacker. Lifting the picture off a trolley manually and balancing it on those tines while it was precariously lifted into position. If especially large, one or two technicians were needed up on ladders to keep the balance at the top of the painting.

Now, a picture could be brought into position and lifted to the desired height without the added complication of ladders and technicians obscuring the view of the painting on the wall. It also often resulted in less handling for the pictures as they can be stored temporarily on the trolley until they were needed again.

Six months after the arrival of the first prototype we added another two improved versions of the first prototype to our growing collection of in house designed equipment. We eventually donated the original prototype to The National Museum Cardiff and have replaced the two trolleys which arrived after it with new improved versions, all of which were designed by Patrick.

We now have eight stacker trolleys, including two smaller units for installing smaller paintings at height. (One of which has been designed to double up specifically for the installation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Cartoon NG6337. ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist.”)

Wheel units no longer slide but swivel and several of the units have top bars which only lift vertically. Between them they cover most of the paintings within the collection that are better suited to being stackered into position rather than lifted manually. They are also regularly used as temporary storage units helping us to keep down the manual handling of large paintings to a bare minimum.

All in all, our stacker trolleys have proved an indispensable tool in the safe handling of large paintings. They continue to aid us in the installation, movement and storage of our larger paintings with an ease and simplicity we could hardly have imagined when the department started back in 1992.

Danny Metcalf Senior Art Handler

'''Blue Equipment'''

As this includes the most technically challenging works in the collection, the process and equipment used to move these objects also tends to be the most complicated. The main piece of equipment used in a blue move is the blue hoist. This item is essentially a large lifting and transportation device that also includes a significant working at height capability and several features to ease the operation and protect the object in transport.

Essentially though the concept for the blue hoist is very similar to the silver categories stacker trolley. In keeping with our general approach to large equipment within the Gallery site, the design of the blue hoist is modular. As with the stacker trolley, the lifting “engine” of the hoist is provided by a standard, 2000kgs stacker which marries with the hoist in a similar way to the Stacker trolley. The use of this approach has meant that the design could originally be more easily developed by the department as more complex elements, such as a hydraulic capability, could be ignored. The design also includes two working at height access towers that join with the main hoist body to provide access for the team. Tower outriggers (as found in standard mobile scaffold platforms) are not necessary as the main body of the hoist provides the stability. These towers can be swapped out for the GR12 MEWPS accordingly, at least one MEWP always being needed to perform other functions with the hoist.

The design also includes a movable tyne system that is arranged in all three axis allowing the position of the hoist to be replicated for each move whilst the tynes go and “grab” the object. In addition, two “picture clamps” are situated at the top of the hoist. These can be adjusted to take into account the width of a picture (up to a maximum of 5.5 metres) and are used to hold the painting vertically when the works are moved (something vital for the moving of altarpieces).

The hoist has eliminated the need for manual lifting of the largest objects in the collection, however the operation still involves a significant use of the teams’ resource with at least 6 technicians required for a blue move.

In addition to the hoist, blue move equipment also includes other items such as the picture carrying “towers”. These are large, triangular shaped carrying scaffolds that are used to move objects through specific routes of the Gallery or to free the use of the blue hoist, allowing multiple blue moves in one session (something that has become more frequent).

== Equipment ==

The art handling department deploys several general and bespoke pieces of equipment to carry out our role. Our approach has been to develop the processes and concepts for our tasks and then to match the equipment to our needs. This has led to a significant design program within the department over many years that has resulted in original design solutions and models of equipment that have then been improved upon. These include the following:

'''The Standard Picture Trolley'''

Associated with the yellow category move, our standard trolley was first developed in 1998 as a general-use piece of equipment assigned to art handling teams. The trolley is durable enough to transport all categories of pictures within the collection but is primarily used to transport multiple works simultaneously. The trolley also has the capacity to safely carry tools and materials for the team whilst transporting pictures. The original design has recently been upgraded to a new model by Tom Hemming, one of our team supervisors.

'''The Stacker Trolley'''

Associated with the Aluminium move, this picture trolley is used to transport and install larger category works. It is designed for one painting at a time and links with a hydraulic stacker to ease installation for the team. This design has undergone several modifications and variants.

'''The Case Roller'''

This piece of equipment was developed by the team to facilitate the unpacking of paintings from their cases. Most picture cases (used for external transport) must be laid flat to be unpacked and this usually requires a significant physical effort. The case roller acts as a quarter round lever and preparation table that makes this operation significantly easier.

'''The Blue Hoist'''

The blue hoist is a large, multi-functional picture transporter and installer that we developed to deal with the largest works in the collection. It is designed to register with our altarpiece display system and has features such as adjustable picture clamps made to hold a work in perfect vertical orientation for transport.

We also use a large range of common equipment normally found within art handling teams. These include J bars for cases, mobile packing tables, skoots and skates, weigh pallets and for working at height we use Mobile Elevated Work Platforms or MEWPS.

The standard model MEWP we use is the Genie GR12. This model has the right weight to height ratio necessary for our gallery environment. We have two of these and they have completely replaced the use of ladders and made redundant the use of scaffold. Step ladders are still occasionally used under normal, health and safety protocols.

== Complicated Installations ==

As mentioned in our category system, the art handling department adopts a three-part system of classification for each artwork in the collection. The blue category includes the largest and heaviest works that also provide the biggest technical challenge to us. Most of these works are large altarpieces or canvases that exceed the limits imposed on the other categories, and special equipment (namely in the form of the blue hoist) has been developed to deal with these moves.

However, there are several moves that can be considered exceptionally significant even within the terms of the blue category and these we call complicated installations. This category of move usually requires further processes or equipment designs to be developed, including some intervention to support the object itself. Usually this is due to the fragility of the object involved with respect to its size but can also be due to display requirements, such as a particular framing approach. A good example of this category is the requirements for the large painting by Sebastiano del Piombo The Raising of Lazarus (NG1).

NG1 is a painting with significant conservation issues around its structure that have caused considerable problems when it was necessary to move the work. The picture was originally a large altarpiece painted on a thick wooden support (exact nature unknown) which was then “transferred” during the 18th century whilst in the possession of the French royal court. The transferring process simply involves removing the original wooden support and replacing it with a canvas one. However, over time this caused significant conservation issues and when it became the responsibility of The National Gallery art handling department to move it (late 20th century) the process necessary to do so was too precarious to carry out without risking damage to the painting. A new process was necessary and would involve designing a support system for the painting which could then work with the newly designed blue hoist.

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'''New structural support for NG1'''

We had already adopted a possible solution in other altarpieces. This involved designing an aluminium “cage” that would fit around the painting as a permanent feature. This would then replace the picture frame as the standard support for the work, meaning the painting could be safely de-framed (necessary for NG1 in particular). In addition, a system of four “screens” was designed that could attach to the new cage. These would wrap around the front of the work where strategically placed soft pads would gently hold the surface of the work in place whilst it was moved (the main issue being the movement of the surface on the canvas). This support system could be applied whilst the work was hanging and would provide protection against the normal art handling techniques such as “bowling” (the re-orientation of a work from one axis to another). This also meant that the main display frame became a “veneer” for appearance only, as the structural load of the work was taken by the new support frame. With this arrangement, the work could now be de-installed and moved using the blue hoist system as described in the blue category.

'''Installing the new display frame'''

At the time of the development of the support system for NG1, we also discussed the possibility of a new display frame that would fit around it and reproduce the main altarpiece form its original location in a church in Italy. However, it would be several more years before this project began, eventually being realised due to the picture’s involvement in the gallery exhibition of Sebastiano and Michelangelo in 2017.

This project added another level of complexity to this move as it involved the installation of an extremely large frame in four parts, placed around the painting once the work itself had already been installed. To make this possible we developed an installation system that “registered” with the cage of the painting when installed.

The new systems have proved to be very successful and have allowed the painting to be moved as required (something we had stopped doing prior to the development of the process). However, it remains possibly the most complicated of moves necessary at The National Gallery, made more so by its very impressive display frame.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

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== Loan Preparation ==

As a department we are central to the loan programme and we work closely with several key departments including collection registrars, curatorial, conservation, framing and photography.

The loan process begins with the collection registrars who receive loan requests from museums and galleries across the world.

This in turn triggers a whole process. Art handling becomes heavily involved once a case order is received from one of the collection registrars. For over 25 years, we worked with Kent Services Limited (KSL) as a supplier of cases to the gallery, which we used to loan works from the collection. Sadly, in late 2020 they ceased trading. We now have a stock of cases they we purchased from KSL and we fit them out with Polyurethane open cell foam (grade S275) and Plastazote LD45 for each painting in the collection that goes on loan.

The case order form contains key information such as the medium, framed dimensions and conservation requirements. We use this information and some other vital details to allocate a suitable case from our stock. We may have to transport the case from offsite storage, then fit out that case, ready for loan. The last stage of this part of the process is to create an invoice for the borrower as they pay for the rental of the case for the duration of the loan.

Later in the loan process we schedule the removal of works from display that are going on loan. This will mean a minor or major rehang of that gallery and we liaise with the relevant curator in order to complete this work. They supply us with a plan, usually a visual document, and we check this and translate the details into TMS. This enable the art handlers to have a worksheet to work from and refer to. We also provide labels for each work, they are written by the curator in question but checked and printed by us, ready for the hang.

This hang is organised in advance and considers any conservation or framing work that needs to take place before going on loan. If a work is not on display it is moved from storage to conservation for pre-loan checks and for the work to be carried out.

We organise the packing of works and coordinate the presence of a Conservator in order to check the painting right before it is packed into the case. Finally, when the case is collected at handling is present for the moving and loading.

When a painting comes back from loan this process happens in reverse and we organise each stage of this process, liaising with, and physically moving the painting and rehanging it in the gallery.

Over the course of a normal year we loan approximately 100 paintings from the collection. Therefore, this process happens multiple times and on any one day there are several loans at various stages in this process.

Louise Marlborough, Administrator

The Collection

2023-04-25T15:09:58Z

Lmarlborough:

This section describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated/bespoke examples (NG6337 etc) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s collection of art consists mainly of western European paintings from the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection does include some sculptural objects, but the painting collection is its primary focus. Within this area of paintings are a wide variety of works with differing physical characteristics. These vary from early renaissance frescoes and panels (on a range of wooden supports) to many works on canvas and works on paper.

These works vary enormously in terms of mass and durability. For example, the collection includes very large and complex altarpieces, constructed from large wooden sections that can weigh up to 500kgs, to works on paper such as the Leonardo cartoon which are extremely ephemeral and require specific handling and display solutions. Paradoxically, large works of significant mass are themselves extremely vulnerable to movement by virtue of their structure working against the material they are made of when they are manipulated.

The role of the art handling department is to create safe systems of operations that we can use when moving the collection for any purpose. Any system that we develop needs to be understood by the art handling team as well as being reliable and repeatable. It also needs to follow the best conservation practice as described to us by our conservation team at the gallery.

The need for repeatable systems is due to the volume of moves that are undertaken each year with the collection. On average, around 15,000 moves of art works occur within the site of The National Gallery each year, all undertaken by the art handling team. This covers all aspects of our work, including basic moves throughout the gallery site, thousands of separate installations and preparation of works from the collection when loaned to other museums throughout the world.

Our aim is to create working systems that can safely cope with this volume of work whilst also being measurable. This is very important for the standard of our work as though we do create individual solutions to specific problems, we also need to know that our team is operating within a well understood framework from which we can confidently make decisions about the work in our care.

To facilitate our approach to the collection, we have developed a technical classification system that describes the art handling requirements for each individual object within the collection. This system breaks the collection down into three categories and names each category after a colour, either yellow, blue or silver.

Each of the categories assumes some simple characteristics for each object. Essentially weight and size are the main determining factors, the record of which category a work is placed in can be found on the individual record for each artwork held in the main collection database (TMS) under the art handling section. Within this record further, more detailed information can be included (please refer to the database description for further information).

The use of a largely generic classification system then allows us to design specific handling solutions to each category. In turn, the problems of handling and installing a specific object can be seen within this framework. The nature of the collection at the gallery has meant that such an approach is possible since the movement of large numbers of works that have similar physical characteristics is essentially the same. It also means that specific, individual solutions can be found to unique problems that can be seen within the context of the main framework.

A crucial element to the system is to develop the correct equipment alongside the correct process and approach. The art handling department has a long-standing equipment development program (now more than 20 years old) that designs and has manufactured specific equipment relevant to each of the categories.

It is worth noting that we apply the same or similar approach to our exhibitions where possible, however the requirements of lenders and the type of objects that may be included in our shows means that a more variable response is often necessary (please refer to exhibitions). This though can still be referred to the general principals established by our system. In the following pages we describe the processes and equipment for each of the categories.

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== Colour Category System ==

Due to the nature of the picture collection at The National Gallery, it is possible to categorise paintings according to the actions necessary for de/installation. This has led us to group works into three categories for this purpose, which are as follows.

Although there are exceptions to these categories, nearly every object in the collection can be group in one of these sections. Our approach to designing installation and transportation solutions is informed by this system.

'''Standard Manual Lift or Yellow Move'''

The yellow move category encompasses the simplest moves we are required to undertake. The category includes all works that can be manually handled over small distances by two art handlers, or can be installed without the need for additional equipment to elevate the painting into position.

The category does not necessarily state the characteristics of the works it includes but generally it refers to paintings weighing under 60kgs. The size of the work is also not such a significant factor as quite large paintings can be included if it is determined they fall within the ease of handling required.

The yellow category contains around 60% of the works within the gallery's collection and will form the majority of moves throughout the year. Using the correct equipment associated with the category (as listed below) multiple moves of paintings can occur simultaneously and this is frequently found to be the case when large gallery hangs occur. Commonly the works within the category are installed using a plate system or The National Gallery gadget system (please refer to installation methods) and additional security measures are also applied at installation.

'''Medium Lift or Silver Move'''

The silver move category covers most of the mid-range installations and moves that we undertake. This category probably accounts for around 20 to 25% of all moves that occur and requires the use of a minimum of three art handlers plus the designated equipment (as described here).

For these moves, we set a limit of 150kgs in weight for the object being moved. Most of the works that fall into this category also tend to be large in area with a major dimension usually exceeding 2 metres.

A lower weight limit is not set as the category considers the physical dimensions of the paintings involved as well as their weight. Often, we find canvas paintings can be light enough to fall within the yellow category but of such dimensions as to create significant problems when manually handling them.

Works within this category are usually transported singularly on stacker trolleys (see equipment). There are a variety of hanging methods employed when installing these works though the most common are supporting brackets and plates or a suspension system (within the National gallery chains are employed). Usually, given the size of the works, standard security is employed when on display.

'''Heavy Lift or Blue Move'''

The Blue move category encompasses the largest and most logistically challenging objects within the National Gallery’s collection.

The most common example of works found in this category are the group of large altarpieces dating from the early renaissance section of the main Collection. These works are usually the heaviest pieces, being up to 500kgs in weight but are also very large objects in surface area with a complex construction.

Conservation issues within the altarpieces can also be significant and therefore this category includes a number of bespoke handling solutions to individual objects (see the additional projects described in this section including for NG1).

The category also includes all the largest canvas works found in other sections of the collection. These works are not necessarily significant in weight, but it has been determined that their scale precludes their inclusion in the silver category and therefore they fall within blue moves.

Large moves described by this category are not an everyday occurrence, however, moves of all category of works have increased significantly over the last few years and the biggest volume increase has probably been within this section. In total, works within this category account for around 10% of the main floor display but when moved can account for a significantly greater percentage of the Departments resources and time. For example, NG1 (described elsewhere in this section) takes around 3 days to reposition and the majority of the AH team to carry out this task.

'''Yellow Equipment'''

As the works associated with this category can be manually handled within the short distances of a gallery or packing room, the equipment required consists of two forms of transportation necessary to move these paintings across larger distances within the two main buildings that make up the National Gallery.

The first and most common piece of equipment used for this purpose is the NG standard Picture Trolley. The standard picture trolley is a medium sized transportation trolley that is used for a large variety of moves and also for temporary storage in the Gallery’s stores. The original design was created by the department more than 20 years ago and consists of 4 units. The design, though generic in nature, was conceived to allow the best ease of movement throughout the Gallery site whilst also maximising the carrying capacity of the trolley. Its durability is such that it can also be used to carry works outside of the yellow category.

Part of the working philosophy of the team is that our art handlers carry only a very minimal amount of equipment on their person (basically a tape measure and standard screwdriver). The yellow trolleys have therefore been designed with a storage capacity for other tools and hanging equipment. This consists of two draws which are located at either end of the trolley.

The yellow trolleys are a standard, daily use piece of equipment which have served us well for many years. However, in keeping with our habit of revising our equipment and improving where necessary, a new design has been developed by one of our team supervisors with the first production model recently delivered. Here is his description of the new design and how it differs from the original model.

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'''Yellow Trollies'''

The yellow trollies are key to how our teams operate in the gallery and the opportunity to re-think the design was not only a chance to make some physical modifications but also an opportunity to reconsider how we use them and make positive changes to our working practice. The trollies are used for the majority of picture movements, rehangs and exhibitions so the primary aims of my design were to increase the capacity for carrying multiple works, improve access throughout the gallery and to provide teams with the correct tools and fixings for each job.

The original design was very successful and the physical changes I made were relatively minor. I added a horizontal extension allowing us to transport larger paintings, slimmed the overall width of the trolley by 50mm to make it easier to pass through doorways, gave it radial corners to remove the sharp edges and increased the clearance around the wheels allowing us to fit brakes. The trolley itself is made from aluminium rather than the original steel design with a 3mm steel deck replacing the 18mm ply and weighting the bottom to ensure stability and provide the necessary weight for the vibration dampening function of the wheels. For the overall structure I reduced the distance between the two outer uprights which both increases the ability to stack paintings side by side but also increases the central space on the deck for items that need to travel flat.

Working across a large site such as the National Gallery one key issue is ensuring that teams have the right tools and hardware ready to hand for each job. We try to minimise the equipment carried by individual technicians and so the majority of our fixings, screws and tooling are kept in the two drawers of each yellow trolley. Maintaining stock and making sure everything goes back in the right place can be difficult during busy periods and a regular frustration for our teams is tracking back and forth across the gallery in search of missing items. For the new trolley I have designed a removable insert for the fixings drawer. The intention is to provide two inserts for each trolley with fixings specific to the two different hanging systems we work with; either hanging from chains or screwing fixings directly into the wall. Through the act of collecting the right drawer insert for each job I am hoping that the process of acknowledging the contents and stock before setting off will become automatic, thereby reducing the frustration of finding items missing. The inserts also double as a tool box that can be removed for easy access during installs and to be restocked at the end of each day.

Alongside the project of designing the trolley we also repurposed a small existing storage area to function as a tooling station and essentially a garage for the trolleys to be stored in. This area has become key to the function of the new trolley design and intended usage, it puts all of the stock, tooling and resources in one place and the layout is arranged specifically around ease of access with a work bench for storing and stocking the drawer inserts. Providing a space for the trolleys to be returned to at the end of each day and collected from every morning may seem incredibly simple but working across such a large site with multiple picture stores and two tooling areas represents a subtle but fundamental change to how we think about the trolleys and how we use them on a daily basis

Tom Hemming, Team Supervisor

[[File:NewYellowTrolley.jpg|280px|left]]
 

'''Picture Bin'''

The second type of transportation equipment used for yellow moves is the picture bin. The concept for this consists of any kind of box on wheels able to carry small works by placing dividers between each work to allow “bridging”. The department has designed a standard National Gallery picture bin and has two units available to it. However, it is possible to quickly and easily produced this equipment, constructed from MDF or wood and ply and have at least another 10 units made in this way that were produced during temporary periods of very high picture movements (for example emptying stores). The bins are also very useful as temporary storage units where small works can be safely held and accounted for within a proper storage facility.

Unlike the yellow trolleys, there is obviously a physical limit to the size of the works that can be held within a bin. Normally this tends to be paintings with a major frame dimension of no more than 75cms, the works will also be required to weigh less than 25kgs each.

[[File:PictureBin.jpg|280px|left]]

 

'''Silver Equipment'''

The two primary pieces of equipment used in this category of move is a standard, 2000kg manually operated hydraulic stacker (maximum platform height of 4.5ms) and the National Gallery stacker trolley, designed by the department for this purpose. The aim of the stacker trolley is to transport the painting to the installation site and then be attached to the manual stacker so providing the lifting power to install or de-install the work. This operation removes most of the manual handling of the work itself, so providing a good health and safety option for the department as well as improving basic preventative conservation needs when transporting larger paintings within the gallery.

This type of equipment, from the original prototype, has been extensively remodelled and improved over a number of years through the creation of 7 different models or Marques. This includes designs which relate to specific roles necessary in the gallery or specific objects in the collection. For example, the Leonardo Cartoon is displayed using a specially reinforced, glazed steel box. This weighs about 190kgs so nominally would take it outside the silver category. However as this is the most efficient method we have of installing the work then a specific stacker trolley was created for this role.

When using this method of transportation and installation, it is often necessary for team members to work at height. Therefore,

the third piece of equipment associated with the category is a MEWP, working at height runabout. The type we use is the Genie GR 12. This piece of equipment needs to be versatile and sensitive enough to work around the stacker trolley set-up and we have found it has almost completely eliminated the use of step ladders within the procedure, an original goal of the process design.

The original concept for the equipment came from one of our senior technicians and the following statement by him describes how a prototype design was first agreed:

'''Silver Trolley'''

We have been using our stacker trolleys for 16 years now and they have proved a unique and practical way of undertaking the installation of large paintings within The National Gallery's collection. They have also become indispensable to the installation of smaller paintings at height in galleries where the pictures are double hung.

The story about how they came into being, highlights how the art handling department has been able to gain inspiration to create new methods of working, through visits to other Institutions around the world. For example, while helping on the de-installation of the Dennis Mahon exhibition up in Edinburgh in 1997 I noticed that the technicians there were using table tennis tables which could be folded up and moved around on wheels for packing and unpacking works of art. Our portable packing tables at the time were by comparison heavy, cumbersome and time consuming to move. As a result, we sourced our own table tennis tables and have been using them ever since as have a growing number of other galleries around the world.

This brings us back to the stacker trolley. On a courier trip to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich in November 1999 with a large full length portrait by Van Dyck, I witnessed the conservators (who also doubled as the art handling team there) place the painting face in on a large wooden A frame trolley, which was taken up to the galleries after the conservation check had been completed. Once the position for the installation had been established two of the team went up ladders on either side and a third member proceeded to pick up the whole A frame with a genie superlift stacker. The trolley was steadied by the two staff members up the ladders as it rose to the height at which the picture was to be hung. Once at height the two technicians hooked up the picture to the wire hanging system which was used throughout the gallery, unstrapped the painting and slowly lowered the A Frame while the technicians supported the picture allowing it back to the wall gently as the A frame descended. I was struck by how little additional handling was needed and how easily the installation had proceeded.

Consequently, on returning to The National Gallery I suggested we might try and develop a trolley which would be designed solely for this purpose. We had just had our own in house designed regular picture trolleys fabricated for us by a firm up in Tamworth near Birmingham and were confident they would be able to make these new trolleys for us.

It took roughly two and a half years before we were in a place where finances and time came together to allow us to start designing the first National Gallery stacker trolleys. The initial idea had come from my courier trip to Munich, but it was Patrick O’Sullivan who was to undertake drawing up the design along with solving the nuts and bolts issues creating a new trolley like this required. We discussed the features a bespoke trolley of this sort should have, and Patrick incorporated these into his design.

Like our new picture trolleys, the stacker trolleys were to be adjustable giving them as much flexibility over the sizes of pictures they could accommodate as possible. They were designed with a top bar which could extend both vertically (like our regular picture trolleys) but in addition horizontally on both sides. Patrick also designed two raised, padded feet which were attached and could slide along an aluminium bar which ran the length of the base of the trolley and gave adjustment to accommodate the decorative mouldings and carvings on the large variety of picture frames they would be employed to support.

He also designed the wheelbase to slide back when the trolley was lifted off the ground, either to install or de-install a painting. This meant that the padded feet could be brought right up to the wall making it possible to lift the picture straight off or onto the wall brackets from the trolley in most situations. They could then be slid back into position before being lowered to the ground giving the trolleys maximum stability for moving around the gallery when loaded, with large pictures.

Also, unlike the A frame in Munich which was just lifted from underneath by the stacker. These trolleys had a compartment designed into the framework underneath which snugly housed the tines of the stacker. There was also a bar which allowed the stacker and the trolley to be coupled together giving us the insurance the trolley could not slip of the tines with a painting in situ.

In 2004 the first prototype stacker trolley arrived at the gallery and proved itself invaluable in the day to day work of the art handling department. We discovered that not only was the trolley making the installation of large paintings easier for art handlers, but it also gave the curators a secure way of viewing a painting against the wall before settling on the height at which they intended to hang it.

The process before this involved padding out the tines of a stacker. Lifting the picture off a trolley manually and balancing it on those tines while it was precariously lifted into position. If especially large, one or two technicians were needed up on ladders to keep the balance at the top of the painting.

Now, a picture could be brought into position and lifted to the desired height without the added complication of ladders and technicians obscuring the view of the painting on the wall. It also often resulted in less handling for the pictures as they can be stored temporarily on the trolley until they were needed again.

Six months after the arrival of the first prototype we added another two improved versions of the first prototype to our growing collection of in house designed equipment. We eventually donated the original prototype to The National Museum Cardiff and have replaced the two trolleys which arrived after it with new improved versions, all of which were designed by Patrick.

We now have eight stacker trolleys, including two smaller units for installing smaller paintings at height. (One of which has been designed to double up specifically for the installation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Cartoon NG6337. ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist.”)

Wheel units no longer slide but swivel and several of the units have top bars which only lift vertically. Between them they cover most of the paintings within the collection that are better suited to being stackered into position rather than lifted manually. They are also regularly used as temporary storage units helping us to keep down the manual handling of large paintings to a bare minimum.

All in all, our stacker trolleys have proved an indispensable tool in the safe handling of large paintings. They continue to aid us in the installation, movement and storage of our larger paintings with an ease and simplicity we could hardly have imagined when the department started back in 1992.

Danny Metcalf Senior Art Handler

'''Blue Equipment'''

As this includes the most technically challenging works in the collection, the process and equipment used to move these objects also tends to be the most complicated. The main piece of equipment used in a blue move is the blue hoist. This item is essentially a large lifting and transportation device that also includes a significant working at height capability and several features to ease the operation and protect the object in transport.

Essentially though the concept for the blue hoist is very similar to the silver categories stacker trolley. In keeping with our general approach to large equipment within the Gallery site, the design of the blue hoist is modular. As with the stacker trolley, the lifting “engine” of the hoist is provided by a standard, 2000kgs stacker which marries with the hoist in a similar way to the Stacker trolley. The use of this approach has meant that the design could originally be more easily developed by the department as more complex elements, such as a hydraulic capability, could be ignored. The design also includes two working at height access towers that join with the main hoist body to provide access for the team. Tower outriggers (as found in standard mobile scaffold platforms) are not necessary as the main body of the hoist provides the stability. These towers can be swapped out for the GR12 MEWPS accordingly, at least one MEWP always being needed to perform other functions with the hoist.

The design also includes a movable tyne system that is arranged in all three axis allowing the position of the hoist to be replicated for each move whilst the tynes go and “grab” the object. In addition, two “picture clamps” are situated at the top of the hoist. These can be adjusted to take into account the width of a picture (up to a maximum of 5.5 metres) and are used to hold the painting vertically when the works are moved (something vital for the moving of altarpieces).

The hoist has eliminated the need for manual lifting of the largest objects in the collection, however the operation still involves a significant use of the teams’ resource with at least 6 technicians required for a blue move.

In addition to the hoist, blue move equipment also includes other items such as the picture carrying “towers”. These are large, triangular shaped carrying scaffolds that are used to move objects through specific routes of the Gallery or to free the use of the blue hoist, allowing multiple blue moves in one session (something that has become more frequent).

== Equipment ==

The art handling department deploys several general and bespoke pieces of equipment to carry out our role. Our approach has been to develop the processes and concepts for our tasks and then to match the equipment to our needs. This has led to a significant design program within the department over many years that has resulted in original design solutions and models of equipment that have then been improved upon. These include the following:

'''The Standard Picture Trolley'''

Associated with the yellow category move, our standard trolley was first developed in 1998 as a general-use piece of equipment assigned to art handling teams. The trolley is durable enough to transport all categories of pictures within the collection but is primarily used to transport multiple works simultaneously. The trolley also has the capacity to safely carry tools and materials for the team whilst transporting pictures. The original design has recently been upgraded to a new model by Tom Hemming, one of our team supervisors.

'''The Stacker Trolley'''

Associated with the Aluminium move, this picture trolley is used to transport and install larger category works. It is designed for one painting at a time and links with a hydraulic stacker to ease installation for the team. This design has undergone several modifications and variants.

'''The Case Roller'''

This piece of equipment was developed by the team to facilitate the unpacking of paintings from their cases. Most picture cases (used for external transport) must be laid flat to be unpacked and this usually requires a significant physical effort. The case roller acts as a quarter round lever and preparation table that makes this operation significantly easier.

'''The Blue Hoist'''

The blue hoist is a large, multi-functional picture transporter and installer that we developed to deal with the largest works in the collection. It is designed to register with our altarpiece display system and has features such as adjustable picture clamps made to hold a work in perfect vertical orientation for transport.

We also use a large range of common equipment normally found within art handling teams. These include J bars for cases, mobile packing tables, skoots and skates, weigh pallets and for working at height we use Mobile Elevated Work Platforms or MEWPS.

The standard model MEWP we use is the Genie GR12. This model has the right weight to height ratio necessary for our gallery environment. We have two of these and they have completely replaced the use of ladders and made redundant the use of scaffold. Step ladders are still occasionally used under normal, health and safety protocols.

== Complicated Installations ==

As mentioned in our category system, the art handling department adopts a three-part system of classification for each artwork in the collection. The blue category includes the largest and heaviest works that also provide the biggest technical challenge to us. Most of these works are large altarpieces or canvases that exceed the limits imposed on the other categories, and special equipment (namely in the form of the blue hoist) has been developed to deal with these moves.

However, there are several moves that can be considered exceptionally significant even within the terms of the blue category and these we call complicated installations. This category of move usually requires further processes or equipment designs to be developed, including some intervention to support the object itself. Usually this is due to the fragility of the object involved with respect to its size but can also be due to display requirements, such as a particular framing approach. A good example of this category is the requirements for the large painting by Sebastiano del Piombo The Raising of Lazarus (NG1).

NG1 is a painting with significant conservation issues around its structure that have caused considerable problems when it was necessary to move the work. The picture was originally a large altarpiece painted on a thick wooden support (exact nature unknown) which was then “transferred” during the 18th century whilst in the possession of the French royal court. The transferring process simply involves removing the original wooden support and replacing it with a canvas one. However, over time this caused significant conservation issues and when it became the responsibility of The National Gallery art handling department to move it (late 20th century) the process necessary to do so was too precarious to carry out without risking damage to the painting. A new process was necessary and would involve designing a support system for the painting which could then work with the newly designed blue hoist.

[[File:NG1moveRoom9_32.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_50.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_56.jpg|300px]]

 

'''New structural support for NG1'''

We had already adopted a possible solution in other altarpieces. This involved designing an aluminium “cage” that would fit around the painting as a permanent feature. This would then replace the picture frame as the standard support for the work, meaning the painting could be safely de-framed (necessary for NG1 in particular). In addition, a system of four “screens” was designed that could attach to the new cage. These would wrap around the front of the work where strategically placed soft pads would gently hold the surface of the work in place whilst it was moved (the main issue being the movement of the surface on the canvas). This support system could be applied whilst the work was hanging and would provide protection against the normal art handling techniques such as “bowling” (the re-orientation of a work from one axis to another). This also meant that the main display frame became a “veneer” for appearance only, as the structural load of the work was taken by the new support frame. With this arrangement, the work could now be de-installed and moved using the blue hoist system as described in the blue category.

'''Installing the new display frame'''

At the time of the development of the support system for NG1, we also discussed the possibility of a new display frame that would fit around it and reproduce the main altarpiece form its original location in a church in Italy. However, it would be several more years before this project began, eventually being realised due to the picture’s involvement in the gallery exhibition of Sebastiano and Michelangelo in 2017.

This project added another level of complexity to this move as it involved the installation of an extremely large frame in four parts, placed around the painting once the work itself had already been installed. To make this possible we developed an installation system that “registered” with the cage of the painting when installed.

The new systems have proved to be very successful and have allowed the painting to be moved as required (something we had stopped doing prior to the development of the process). However, it remains possibly the most complicated of moves necessary at The National Gallery, made more so by its very impressive display frame.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

[[File:NG1unframedB.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframedC.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframed.jpg|300px]]

 

== Loan Preparation ==

As a department we are central to the loan programme and we work closely with several key departments including collection registrars, curatorial, conservation, framing and photography.

The loan process begins with the collection registrars who receive loan requests from museums and galleries across the world.

This in turn triggers a whole process. Art handling becomes heavily involved once a case order is received from one of the collection registrars. For over 25 years, we worked with Kent Services Limited (KSL) as a supplier of cases to the gallery, which we used to loan works from the collection. Sadly, in late 2020 they ceased trading. We now have a stock of cases they we purchased from KSL and we fit them out with Polyurethane open cell foam (grade S275) and Plastazote LD45 for each painting in the collection that goes on loan.

The case order form contains key information such as the medium, framed dimensions and conservation requirements. We use this information and some other vital details to allocate a suitable case from our stock. We may have to transport the case from offsite storage, then fit out that case, ready for loan. The last stage of this part of the process is to create an invoice for the borrower as they pay for the rental of the case for the duration of the loan.

Later in the loan process we schedule the removal of works from display that are going on loan. This will mean a minor or major rehang of that gallery and we liaise with the relevant curator in order to complete this work. They supply us with a plan, usually a visual document, and we check this and translate the details into TMS. This enable the art handlers to have a worksheet to work from and refer to. We also provide labels for each work, they are written by the curator in question but checked and printed by us, ready for the hang.

This hang is organised in advance and considers any conservation or framing work that needs to take place before going on loan. If a work is not on display it is moved from storage to conservation for pre-loan checks and for the work to be carried out.

We organise the packing of works and coordinate the presence of a Conservator in order to check the painting right before it is packed into the case. Finally, when the case is collected at handling is present for the moving and loading.

When a painting comes back from loan this process happens in reverse and we organise each stage of this process, liaising with, and physically moving the painting and rehanging it in the gallery.

Over the course of a normal year we loan approximately 100 paintings from the collection. Therefore, this process happens multiple times and on any one day there are several loans at various stages in this process.

Louise Marlborough, Administrator

File:NewYellowTrolley22.jpeg

2023-04-25T15:09:11Z

Lmarlborough:

The Collection

2023-04-25T14:49:57Z

Lmarlborough:

This section describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated/bespoke examples (NG6337 etc) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s collection of art consists mainly of western European paintings from the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection does include some sculptural objects, but the painting collection is its primary focus. Within this area of paintings are a wide variety of works with differing physical characteristics. These vary from early renaissance frescoes and panels (on a range of wooden supports) to many works on canvas and works on paper.

These works vary enormously in terms of mass and durability. For example, the collection includes very large and complex altarpieces, constructed from large wooden sections that can weigh up to 500kgs, to works on paper such as the Leonardo cartoon which are extremely ephemeral and require specific handling and display solutions. Paradoxically, large works of significant mass are themselves extremely vulnerable to movement by virtue of their structure working against the material they are made of when they are manipulated.

The role of the art handling department is to create safe systems of operations that we can use when moving the collection for any purpose. Any system that we develop needs to be understood by the art handling team as well as being reliable and repeatable. It also needs to follow the best conservation practice as described to us by our conservation team at the gallery.

The need for repeatable systems is due to the volume of moves that are undertaken each year with the collection. On average, around 15,000 moves of art works occur within the site of The National Gallery each year, all undertaken by the art handling team. This covers all aspects of our work, including basic moves throughout the gallery site, thousands of separate installations and preparation of works from the collection when loaned to other museums throughout the world.

Our aim is to create working systems that can safely cope with this volume of work whilst also being measurable. This is very important for the standard of our work as though we do create individual solutions to specific problems, we also need to know that our team is operating within a well understood framework from which we can confidently make decisions about the work in our care.

To facilitate our approach to the collection, we have developed a technical classification system that describes the art handling requirements for each individual object within the collection. This system breaks the collection down into three categories and names each category after a colour, either yellow, blue or silver.

Each of the categories assumes some simple characteristics for each object. Essentially weight and size are the main determining factors, the record of which category a work is placed in can be found on the individual record for each artwork held in the main collection database (TMS) under the art handling section. Within this record further, more detailed information can be included (please refer to the database description for further information).

The use of a largely generic classification system then allows us to design specific handling solutions to each category. In turn, the problems of handling and installing a specific object can be seen within this framework. The nature of the collection at the gallery has meant that such an approach is possible since the movement of large numbers of works that have similar physical characteristics is essentially the same. It also means that specific, individual solutions can be found to unique problems that can be seen within the context of the main framework.

A crucial element to the system is to develop the correct equipment alongside the correct process and approach. The art handling department has a long-standing equipment development program (now more than 20 years old) that designs and has manufactured specific equipment relevant to each of the categories.

It is worth noting that we apply the same or similar approach to our exhibitions where possible, however the requirements of lenders and the type of objects that may be included in our shows means that a more variable response is often necessary (please refer to exhibitions). This though can still be referred to the general principals established by our system. In the following pages we describe the processes and equipment for each of the categories.

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== Colour Category System ==

Due to the nature of the picture collection at The National Gallery, it is possible to categorise paintings according to the actions necessary for de/installation. This has led us to group works into three categories for this purpose, which are as follows.

Although there are exceptions to these categories, nearly every object in the collection can be group in one of these sections. Our approach to designing installation and transportation solutions is informed by this system.

'''Standard Manual Lift or Yellow Move'''

The yellow move category encompasses the simplest moves we are required to undertake. The category includes all works that can be manually handled over small distances by two art handlers, or can be installed without the need for additional equipment to elevate the painting into position.

The category does not necessarily state the characteristics of the works it includes but generally it refers to paintings weighing under 60kgs. The size of the work is also not such a significant factor as quite large paintings can be included if it is determined they fall within the ease of handling required.

The yellow category contains around 60% of the works within the gallery's collection and will form the majority of moves throughout the year. Using the correct equipment associated with the category (as listed below) multiple moves of paintings can occur simultaneously and this is frequently found to be the case when large gallery hangs occur. Commonly the works within the category are installed using a plate system or The National Gallery gadget system (please refer to installation methods) and additional security measures are also applied at installation.

'''Medium Lift or Silver Move'''

The silver move category covers most of the mid-range installations and moves that we undertake. This category probably accounts for around 20 to 25% of all moves that occur and requires the use of a minimum of three art handlers plus the designated equipment (as described here).

For these moves, we set a limit of 150kgs in weight for the object being moved. Most of the works that fall into this category also tend to be large in area with a major dimension usually exceeding 2 metres.

A lower weight limit is not set as the category considers the physical dimensions of the paintings involved as well as their weight. Often, we find canvas paintings can be light enough to fall within the yellow category but of such dimensions as to create significant problems when manually handling them.

Works within this category are usually transported singularly on stacker trolleys (see equipment). There are a variety of hanging methods employed when installing these works though the most common are supporting brackets and plates or a suspension system (within the National gallery chains are employed). Usually, given the size of the works, standard security is employed when on display.

'''Heavy Lift or Blue Move'''

The Blue move category encompasses the largest and most logistically challenging objects within the National Gallery’s collection.

The most common example of works found in this category are the group of large altarpieces dating from the early renaissance section of the main Collection. These works are usually the heaviest pieces, being up to 500kgs in weight but are also very large objects in surface area with a complex construction.

Conservation issues within the altarpieces can also be significant and therefore this category includes a number of bespoke handling solutions to individual objects (see the additional projects described in this section including for NG1).

The category also includes all the largest canvas works found in other sections of the collection. These works are not necessarily significant in weight, but it has been determined that their scale precludes their inclusion in the silver category and therefore they fall within blue moves.

Large moves described by this category are not an everyday occurrence, however, moves of all category of works have increased significantly over the last few years and the biggest volume increase has probably been within this section. In total, works within this category account for around 10% of the main floor display but when moved can account for a significantly greater percentage of the Departments resources and time. For example, NG1 (described elsewhere in this section) takes around 3 days to reposition and the majority of the AH team to carry out this task.

'''Yellow Equipment'''

As the works associated with this category can be manually handled within the short distances of a gallery or packing room, the equipment required consists of two forms of transportation necessary to move these paintings across larger distances within the two main buildings that make up the National Gallery.

The first and most common piece of equipment used for this purpose is the NG standard Picture Trolley. The standard picture trolley is a medium sized transportation trolley that is used for a large variety of moves and also for temporary storage in the Gallery’s stores. The original design was created by the department more than 20 years ago and consists of 4 units. The design, though generic in nature, was conceived to allow the best ease of movement throughout the Gallery site whilst also maximising the carrying capacity of the trolley. Its durability is such that it can also be used to carry works outside of the yellow category.

Part of the working philosophy of the team is that our art handlers carry only a very minimal amount of equipment on their person (basically a tape measure and standard screwdriver). The yellow trolleys have therefore been designed with a storage capacity for other tools and hanging equipment. This consists of two draws which are located at either end of the trolley.

The yellow trolleys are a standard, daily use piece of equipment which have served us well for many years. However, in keeping with our habit of revising our equipment and improving where necessary, a new design has been developed by one of our team supervisors with the first production model recently delivered. Here is his description of the new design and how it differs from the original model.

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'''Yellow Trollies'''

The yellow trollies are key to how our teams operate in the gallery and the opportunity to re-think the design was not only a chance to make some physical modifications but also an opportunity to reconsider how we use them and make positive changes to our working practice. The trollies are used for the majority of picture movements, rehangs and exhibitions so the primary aims of my design were to increase the capacity for carrying multiple works, improve access throughout the gallery and to provide teams with the correct tools and fixings for each job.

The original design was very successful and the physical changes I made were relatively minor. I added a horizontal extension allowing us to transport larger paintings, slimmed the overall width of the trolley by 50mm to make it easier to pass through doorways, gave it radial corners to remove the sharp edges and increased the clearance around the wheels allowing us to fit brakes. The trolley itself is made from aluminium rather than the original steel design with a 3mm steel deck replacing the 18mm ply and weighting the bottom to ensure stability and provide the necessary weight for the vibration dampening function of the wheels. For the overall structure I reduced the distance between the two outer uprights which both increases the ability to stack paintings side by side but also increases the central space on the deck for items that need to travel flat.

Working across a large site such as the National Gallery one key issue is ensuring that teams have the right tools and hardware ready to hand for each job. We try to minimise the equipment carried by individual technicians and so the majority of our fixings, screws and tooling are kept in the two drawers of each yellow trolley. Maintaining stock and making sure everything goes back in the right place can be difficult during busy periods and a regular frustration for our teams is tracking back and forth across the gallery in search of missing items. For the new trolley I have designed a removable insert for the fixings drawer. The intention is to provide two inserts for each trolley with fixings specific to the two different hanging systems we work with; either hanging from chains or screwing fixings directly into the wall. Through the act of collecting the right drawer insert for each job I am hoping that the process of acknowledging the contents and stock before setting off will become automatic, thereby reducing the frustration of finding items missing. The inserts also double as a tool box that can be removed for easy access during installs and to be restocked at the end of each day.

Alongside the project of designing the trolley we also repurposed a small existing storage area to function as a tooling station and essentially a garage for the trolleys to be stored in. This area has become key to the function of the new trolley design and intended usage, it puts all of the stock, tooling and resources in one place and the layout is arranged specifically around ease of access with a work bench for storing and stocking the drawer inserts. Providing a space for the trolleys to be returned to at the end of each day and collected from every morning may seem incredibly simple but working across such a large site with multiple picture stores and two tooling areas represents a subtle but fundamental change to how we think about the trolleys and how we use them on a daily basis

Tom Hemming, Team Supervisor

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'''Picture Bin'''

The second type of transportation equipment used for yellow moves is the picture bin. The concept for this consists of any kind of box on wheels able to carry small works by placing dividers between each work to allow “bridging”. The department has designed a standard National Gallery picture bin and has two units available to it. However, it is possible to quickly and easily produced this equipment, constructed from MDF or wood and ply and have at least another 10 units made in this way that were produced during temporary periods of very high picture movements (for example emptying stores). The bins are also very useful as temporary storage units where small works can be safely held and accounted for within a proper storage facility.

Unlike the yellow trolleys, there is obviously a physical limit to the size of the works that can be held within a bin. Normally this tends to be paintings with a major frame dimension of no more than 75cms, the works will also be required to weigh less than 25kgs each.

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'''Silver Equipment'''

The two primary pieces of equipment used in this category of move is a standard, 2000kg manually operated hydraulic stacker (maximum platform height of 4.5ms) and the National Gallery stacker trolley, designed by the department for this purpose. The aim of the stacker trolley is to transport the painting to the installation site and then be attached to the manual stacker so providing the lifting power to install or de-install the work. This operation removes most of the manual handling of the work itself, so providing a good health and safety option for the department as well as improving basic preventative conservation needs when transporting larger paintings within the gallery.

This type of equipment, from the original prototype, has been extensively remodelled and improved over a number of years through the creation of 7 different models or Marques. This includes designs which relate to specific roles necessary in the gallery or specific objects in the collection. For example, the Leonardo Cartoon is displayed using a specially reinforced, glazed steel box. This weighs about 190kgs so nominally would take it outside the silver category. However as this is the most efficient method we have of installing the work then a specific stacker trolley was created for this role.

When using this method of transportation and installation, it is often necessary for team members to work at height. Therefore,

the third piece of equipment associated with the category is a MEWP, working at height runabout. The type we use is the Genie GR 12. This piece of equipment needs to be versatile and sensitive enough to work around the stacker trolley set-up and we have found it has almost completely eliminated the use of step ladders within the procedure, an original goal of the process design.

The original concept for the equipment came from one of our senior technicians and the following statement by him describes how a prototype design was first agreed:

'''Silver Trolley'''

We have been using our stacker trolleys for 16 years now and they have proved a unique and practical way of undertaking the installation of large paintings within The National Gallery's collection. They have also become indispensable to the installation of smaller paintings at height in galleries where the pictures are double hung.

The story about how they came into being, highlights how the art handling department has been able to gain inspiration to create new methods of working, through visits to other Institutions around the world. For example, while helping on the de-installation of the Dennis Mahon exhibition up in Edinburgh in 1997 I noticed that the technicians there were using table tennis tables which could be folded up and moved around on wheels for packing and unpacking works of art. Our portable packing tables at the time were by comparison heavy, cumbersome and time consuming to move. As a result, we sourced our own table tennis tables and have been using them ever since as have a growing number of other galleries around the world.

This brings us back to the stacker trolley. On a courier trip to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich in November 1999 with a large full length portrait by Van Dyck, I witnessed the conservators (who also doubled as the art handling team there) place the painting face in on a large wooden A frame trolley, which was taken up to the galleries after the conservation check had been completed. Once the position for the installation had been established two of the team went up ladders on either side and a third member proceeded to pick up the whole A frame with a genie superlift stacker. The trolley was steadied by the two staff members up the ladders as it rose to the height at which the picture was to be hung. Once at height the two technicians hooked up the picture to the wire hanging system which was used throughout the gallery, unstrapped the painting and slowly lowered the A Frame while the technicians supported the picture allowing it back to the wall gently as the A frame descended. I was struck by how little additional handling was needed and how easily the installation had proceeded.

Consequently, on returning to The National Gallery I suggested we might try and develop a trolley which would be designed solely for this purpose. We had just had our own in house designed regular picture trolleys fabricated for us by a firm up in Tamworth near Birmingham and were confident they would be able to make these new trolleys for us.

It took roughly two and a half years before we were in a place where finances and time came together to allow us to start designing the first National Gallery stacker trolleys. The initial idea had come from my courier trip to Munich, but it was Patrick O’Sullivan who was to undertake drawing up the design along with solving the nuts and bolts issues creating a new trolley like this required. We discussed the features a bespoke trolley of this sort should have, and Patrick incorporated these into his design.

Like our new picture trolleys, the stacker trolleys were to be adjustable giving them as much flexibility over the sizes of pictures they could accommodate as possible. They were designed with a top bar which could extend both vertically (like our regular picture trolleys) but in addition horizontally on both sides. Patrick also designed two raised, padded feet which were attached and could slide along an aluminium bar which ran the length of the base of the trolley and gave adjustment to accommodate the decorative mouldings and carvings on the large variety of picture frames they would be employed to support.

He also designed the wheelbase to slide back when the trolley was lifted off the ground, either to install or de-install a painting. This meant that the padded feet could be brought right up to the wall making it possible to lift the picture straight off or onto the wall brackets from the trolley in most situations. They could then be slid back into position before being lowered to the ground giving the trolleys maximum stability for moving around the gallery when loaded, with large pictures.

Also, unlike the A frame in Munich which was just lifted from underneath by the stacker. These trolleys had a compartment designed into the framework underneath which snugly housed the tines of the stacker. There was also a bar which allowed the stacker and the trolley to be coupled together giving us the insurance the trolley could not slip of the tines with a painting in situ.

In 2004 the first prototype stacker trolley arrived at the gallery and proved itself invaluable in the day to day work of the art handling department. We discovered that not only was the trolley making the installation of large paintings easier for art handlers, but it also gave the curators a secure way of viewing a painting against the wall before settling on the height at which they intended to hang it.

The process before this involved padding out the tines of a stacker. Lifting the picture off a trolley manually and balancing it on those tines while it was precariously lifted into position. If especially large, one or two technicians were needed up on ladders to keep the balance at the top of the painting.

Now, a picture could be brought into position and lifted to the desired height without the added complication of ladders and technicians obscuring the view of the painting on the wall. It also often resulted in less handling for the pictures as they can be stored temporarily on the trolley until they were needed again.

Six months after the arrival of the first prototype we added another two improved versions of the first prototype to our growing collection of in house designed equipment. We eventually donated the original prototype to The National Museum Cardiff and have replaced the two trolleys which arrived after it with new improved versions, all of which were designed by Patrick.

We now have eight stacker trolleys, including two smaller units for installing smaller paintings at height. (One of which has been designed to double up specifically for the installation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Cartoon NG6337. ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist.”)

Wheel units no longer slide but swivel and several of the units have top bars which only lift vertically. Between them they cover most of the paintings within the collection that are better suited to being stackered into position rather than lifted manually. They are also regularly used as temporary storage units helping us to keep down the manual handling of large paintings to a bare minimum.

All in all, our stacker trolleys have proved an indispensable tool in the safe handling of large paintings. They continue to aid us in the installation, movement and storage of our larger paintings with an ease and simplicity we could hardly have imagined when the department started back in 1992.

Danny Metcalf Senior Art Handler

'''Blue Equipment'''

As this includes the most technically challenging works in the collection, the process and equipment used to move these objects also tends to be the most complicated. The main piece of equipment used in a blue move is the blue hoist. This item is essentially a large lifting and transportation device that also includes a significant working at height capability and several features to ease the operation and protect the object in transport.

Essentially though the concept for the blue hoist is very similar to the silver categories stacker trolley. In keeping with our general approach to large equipment within the Gallery site, the design of the blue hoist is modular. As with the stacker trolley, the lifting “engine” of the hoist is provided by a standard, 2000kgs stacker which marries with the hoist in a similar way to the Stacker trolley. The use of this approach has meant that the design could originally be more easily developed by the department as more complex elements, such as a hydraulic capability, could be ignored. The design also includes two working at height access towers that join with the main hoist body to provide access for the team. Tower outriggers (as found in standard mobile scaffold platforms) are not necessary as the main body of the hoist provides the stability. These towers can be swapped out for the GR12 MEWPS accordingly, at least one MEWP always being needed to perform other functions with the hoist.

The design also includes a movable tyne system that is arranged in all three axis allowing the position of the hoist to be replicated for each move whilst the tynes go and “grab” the object. In addition, two “picture clamps” are situated at the top of the hoist. These can be adjusted to take into account the width of a picture (up to a maximum of 5.5 metres) and are used to hold the painting vertically when the works are moved (something vital for the moving of altarpieces).

The hoist has eliminated the need for manual lifting of the largest objects in the collection, however the operation still involves a significant use of the teams’ resource with at least 6 technicians required for a blue move.

In addition to the hoist, blue move equipment also includes other items such as the picture carrying “towers”. These are large, triangular shaped carrying scaffolds that are used to move objects through specific routes of the Gallery or to free the use of the blue hoist, allowing multiple blue moves in one session (something that has become more frequent).

== Equipment ==

The art handling department deploys several general and bespoke pieces of equipment to carry out our role. Our approach has been to develop the processes and concepts for our tasks and then to match the equipment to our needs. This has led to a significant design program within the department over many years that has resulted in original design solutions and models of equipment that have then been improved upon. These include the following:

'''The Standard Picture Trolley'''

Associated with the yellow category move, our standard trolley was first developed in 1998 as a general-use piece of equipment assigned to art handling teams. The trolley is durable enough to transport all categories of pictures within the collection but is primarily used to transport multiple works simultaneously. The trolley also has the capacity to safely carry tools and materials for the team whilst transporting pictures. The original design has recently been upgraded to a new model by Tom Hemming, one of our team supervisors.

'''The Stacker Trolley'''

Associated with the Aluminium move, this picture trolley is used to transport and install larger category works. It is designed for one painting at a time and links with a hydraulic stacker to ease installation for the team. This design has undergone several modifications and variants.

'''The Case Roller'''

This piece of equipment was developed by the team to facilitate the unpacking of paintings from their cases. Most picture cases (used for external transport) must be laid flat to be unpacked and this usually requires a significant physical effort. The case roller acts as a quarter round lever and preparation table that makes this operation significantly easier.

'''The Blue Hoist'''

The blue hoist is a large, multi-functional picture transporter and installer that we developed to deal with the largest works in the collection. It is designed to register with our altarpiece display system and has features such as adjustable picture clamps made to hold a work in perfect vertical orientation for transport.

We also use a large range of common equipment normally found within art handling teams. These include J bars for cases, mobile packing tables, skoots and skates, weigh pallets and for working at height we use Mobile Elevated Work Platforms or MEWPS.

The standard model MEWP we use is the Genie GR12. This model has the right weight to height ratio necessary for our gallery environment. We have two of these and they have completely replaced the use of ladders and made redundant the use of scaffold. Step ladders are still occasionally used under normal, health and safety protocols.

== Complicated Installations ==

As mentioned in our category system, the art handling department adopts a three-part system of classification for each artwork in the collection. The blue category includes the largest and heaviest works that also provide the biggest technical challenge to us. Most of these works are large altarpieces or canvases that exceed the limits imposed on the other categories, and special equipment (namely in the form of the blue hoist) has been developed to deal with these moves.

However, there are several moves that can be considered exceptionally significant even within the terms of the blue category and these we call complicated installations. This category of move usually requires further processes or equipment designs to be developed, including some intervention to support the object itself. Usually this is due to the fragility of the object involved with respect to its size but can also be due to display requirements, such as a particular framing approach. A good example of this category is the requirements for the large painting by Sebastiano del Piombo The Raising of Lazarus (NG1).

NG1 is a painting with significant conservation issues around its structure that have caused considerable problems when it was necessary to move the work. The picture was originally a large altarpiece painted on a thick wooden support (exact nature unknown) which was then “transferred” during the 18th century whilst in the possession of the French royal court. The transferring process simply involves removing the original wooden support and replacing it with a canvas one. However, over time this caused significant conservation issues and when it became the responsibility of The National Gallery art handling department to move it (late 20th century) the process necessary to do so was too precarious to carry out without risking damage to the painting. A new process was necessary and would involve designing a support system for the painting which could then work with the newly designed blue hoist.

[[File:NG1moveRoom9_32.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_50.jpg|300px]]
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'''New structural support for NG1'''

We had already adopted a possible solution in other altarpieces. This involved designing an aluminium “cage” that would fit around the painting as a permanent feature. This would then replace the picture frame as the standard support for the work, meaning the painting could be safely de-framed (necessary for NG1 in particular). In addition, a system of four “screens” was designed that could attach to the new cage. These would wrap around the front of the work where strategically placed soft pads would gently hold the surface of the work in place whilst it was moved (the main issue being the movement of the surface on the canvas). This support system could be applied whilst the work was hanging and would provide protection against the normal art handling techniques such as “bowling” (the re-orientation of a work from one axis to another). This also meant that the main display frame became a “veneer” for appearance only, as the structural load of the work was taken by the new support frame. With this arrangement, the work could now be de-installed and moved using the blue hoist system as described in the blue category.

'''Installing the new display frame'''

At the time of the development of the support system for NG1, we also discussed the possibility of a new display frame that would fit around it and reproduce the main altarpiece form its original location in a church in Italy. However, it would be several more years before this project began, eventually being realised due to the picture’s involvement in the gallery exhibition of Sebastiano and Michelangelo in 2017.

This project added another level of complexity to this move as it involved the installation of an extremely large frame in four parts, placed around the painting once the work itself had already been installed. To make this possible we developed an installation system that “registered” with the cage of the painting when installed.

The new systems have proved to be very successful and have allowed the painting to be moved as required (something we had stopped doing prior to the development of the process). However, it remains possibly the most complicated of moves necessary at The National Gallery, made more so by its very impressive display frame.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

[[File:NG1unframedB.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframedC.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframed.jpg|300px]]

 

== Loan Preparation ==

As a department we are central to the loan programme and we work closely with several key departments including collection registrars, curatorial, conservation, framing and photography.

The loan process begins with the collection registrars who receive loan requests from museums and galleries across the world.

This in turn triggers a whole process. Art handling becomes heavily involved once a case order is received from one of the collection registrars. For over 25 years, we worked with Kent Services Limited (KSL) as a supplier of cases to the gallery, which we used to loan works from the collection. Sadly, in late 2020 they ceased trading. We now have a stock of cases they we purchased from KSL and we fit them out with Polyurethane open cell foam (grade S275) and Plastazote LD45 for each painting in the collection that goes on loan.

The case order form contains key information such as the medium, framed dimensions and conservation requirements. We use this information and some other vital details to allocate a suitable case from our stock. We may have to transport the case from offsite storage, then fit out that case, ready for loan. The last stage of this part of the process is to create an invoice for the borrower as they pay for the rental of the case for the duration of the loan.

Later in the loan process we schedule the removal of works from display that are going on loan. This will mean a minor or major rehang of that gallery and we liaise with the relevant curator in order to complete this work. They supply us with a plan, usually a visual document, and we check this and translate the details into TMS. This enable the art handlers to have a worksheet to work from and refer to. We also provide labels for each work, they are written by the curator in question but checked and printed by us, ready for the hang.

This hang is organised in advance and considers any conservation or framing work that needs to take place before going on loan. If a work is not on display it is moved from storage to conservation for pre-loan checks and for the work to be carried out.

We organise the packing of works and coordinate the presence of a Conservator in order to check the painting right before it is packed into the case. Finally, when the case is collected at handling is present for the moving and loading.

When a painting comes back from loan this process happens in reverse and we organise each stage of this process, liaising with, and physically moving the painting and rehanging it in the gallery.

Over the course of a normal year we loan approximately 100 paintings from the collection. Therefore, this process happens multiple times and on any one day there are several loans at various stages in this process.

Louise Marlborough, Administrator

The Collection

2023-04-25T14:48:55Z

Lmarlborough:

This section describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated/bespoke examples (NG6337 etc) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s collection of art consists mainly of western European paintings from the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection does include some sculptural objects, but the painting collection is its primary focus. Within this area of paintings are a wide variety of works with differing physical characteristics. These vary from early renaissance frescoes and panels (on a range of wooden supports) to many works on canvas and works on paper.

These works vary enormously in terms of mass and durability. For example, the collection includes very large and complex altarpieces, constructed from large wooden sections that can weigh up to 500kgs, to works on paper such as the Leonardo cartoon which are extremely ephemeral and require specific handling and display solutions. Paradoxically, large works of significant mass are themselves extremely vulnerable to movement by virtue of their structure working against the material they are made of when they are manipulated.

The role of the art handling department is to create safe systems of operations that we can use when moving the collection for any purpose. Any system that we develop needs to be understood by the art handling team as well as being reliable and repeatable. It also needs to follow the best conservation practice as described to us by our conservation team at the gallery.

The need for repeatable systems is due to the volume of moves that are undertaken each year with the collection. On average, around 15,000 moves of art works occur within the site of The National Gallery each year, all undertaken by the art handling team. This covers all aspects of our work, including basic moves throughout the gallery site, thousands of separate installations and preparation of works from the collection when loaned to other museums throughout the world.

Our aim is to create working systems that can safely cope with this volume of work whilst also being measurable. This is very important for the standard of our work as though we do create individual solutions to specific problems, we also need to know that our team is operating within a well understood framework from which we can confidently make decisions about the work in our care.

To facilitate our approach to the collection, we have developed a technical classification system that describes the art handling requirements for each individual object within the collection. This system breaks the collection down into three categories and names each category after a colour, either yellow, blue or silver.

Each of the categories assumes some simple characteristics for each object. Essentially weight and size are the main determining factors, the record of which category a work is placed in can be found on the individual record for each artwork held in the main collection database (TMS) under the art handling section. Within this record further, more detailed information can be included (please refer to the database description for further information).

The use of a largely generic classification system then allows us to design specific handling solutions to each category. In turn, the problems of handling and installing a specific object can be seen within this framework. The nature of the collection at the gallery has meant that such an approach is possible since the movement of large numbers of works that have similar physical characteristics is essentially the same. It also means that specific, individual solutions can be found to unique problems that can be seen within the context of the main framework.

A crucial element to the system is to develop the correct equipment alongside the correct process and approach. The art handling department has a long-standing equipment development program (now more than 20 years old) that designs and has manufactured specific equipment relevant to each of the categories.

It is worth noting that we apply the same or similar approach to our exhibitions where possible, however the requirements of lenders and the type of objects that may be included in our shows means that a more variable response is often necessary (please refer to exhibitions). This though can still be referred to the general principals established by our system. In the following pages we describe the processes and equipment for each of the categories.

[[File:Room32.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Colour Category System ==

Due to the nature of the picture collection at The National Gallery, it is possible to categorise paintings according to the actions necessary for de/installation. This has led us to group works into three categories for this purpose, which are as follows.

Although there are exceptions to these categories, nearly every object in the collection can be group in one of these sections. Our approach to designing installation and transportation solutions is informed by this system.

'''Standard Manual Lift or Yellow Move'''

The yellow move category encompasses the simplest moves we are required to undertake. The category includes all works that can be manually handled over small distances by two art handlers, or can be installed without the need for additional equipment to elevate the painting into position.

The category does not necessarily state the characteristics of the works it includes but generally it refers to paintings weighing under 60kgs. The size of the work is also not such a significant factor as quite large paintings can be included if it is determined they fall within the ease of handling required.

The yellow category contains around 60% of the works within the gallery's collection and will form the majority of moves throughout the year. Using the correct equipment associated with the category (as listed below) multiple moves of paintings can occur simultaneously and this is frequently found to be the case when large gallery hangs occur. Commonly the works within the category are installed using a plate system or The National Gallery gadget system (please refer to installation methods) and additional security measures are also applied at installation.

'''Medium Lift or Silver Move'''

The silver move category covers most of the mid-range installations and moves that we undertake. This category probably accounts for around 20 to 25% of all moves that occur and requires the use of a minimum of three art handlers plus the designated equipment (as described here).

For these moves, we set a limit of 150kgs in weight for the object being moved. Most of the works that fall into this category also tend to be large in area with a major dimension usually exceeding 2 metres.

A lower weight limit is not set as the category considers the physical dimensions of the paintings involved as well as their weight. Often, we find canvas paintings can be light enough to fall within the yellow category but of such dimensions as to create significant problems when manually handling them.

Works within this category are usually transported singularly on stacker trolleys (see equipment). There are a variety of hanging methods employed when installing these works though the most common are supporting brackets and plates or a suspension system (within the National gallery chains are employed). Usually, given the size of the works, standard security is employed when on display.

'''Heavy Lift or Blue Move'''

The Blue move category encompasses the largest and most logistically challenging objects within the National Gallery’s collection.

The most common example of works found in this category are the group of large altarpieces dating from the early renaissance section of the main Collection. These works are usually the heaviest pieces, being up to 500kgs in weight but are also very large objects in surface area with a complex construction.

Conservation issues within the altarpieces can also be significant and therefore this category includes a number of bespoke handling solutions to individual objects (see the additional projects described in this section including for NG1).

The category also includes all the largest canvas works found in other sections of the collection. These works are not necessarily significant in weight, but it has been determined that their scale precludes their inclusion in the silver category and therefore they fall within blue moves.

Large moves described by this category are not an everyday occurrence, however, moves of all category of works have increased significantly over the last few years and the biggest volume increase has probably been within this section. In total, works within this category account for around 10% of the main floor display but when moved can account for a significantly greater percentage of the Departments resources and time. For example, NG1 (described elsewhere in this section) takes around 3 days to reposition and the majority of the AH team to carry out this task.

'''Yellow Equipment'''

As the works associated with this category can be manually handled within the short distances of a gallery or packing room, the equipment required consists of two forms of transportation necessary to move these paintings across larger distances within the two main buildings that make up the National Gallery.

The first and most common piece of equipment used for this purpose is the NG standard Picture Trolley. The standard picture trolley is a medium sized transportation trolley that is used for a large variety of moves and also for temporary storage in the Gallery’s stores. The original design was created by the department more than 20 years ago and consists of 4 units. The design, though generic in nature, was conceived to allow the best ease of movement throughout the Gallery site whilst also maximising the carrying capacity of the trolley. Its durability is such that it can also be used to carry works outside of the yellow category.

Part of the working philosophy of the team is that our art handlers carry only a very minimal amount of equipment on their person (basically a tape measure and standard screwdriver). The yellow trolleys have therefore been designed with a storage capacity for other tools and hanging equipment. This consists of two draws which are located at either end of the trolley.

The yellow trolleys are a standard, daily use piece of equipment which have served us well for many years. However, in keeping with our habit of revising our equipment and improving where necessary, a new design has been developed by one of our team supervisors with the first production model recently delivered. Here is his description of the new design and how it differs from the original model.

[[File:OldYellowTrolley.JPG|500px|left]]
 

'''Yellow Trollies'''

The yellow trollies are key to how our teams operate in the gallery and the opportunity to re-think the design was not only a chance to make some physical modifications but also an opportunity to reconsider how we use them and make positive changes to our working practice. The trollies are used for the majority of picture movements, rehangs and exhibitions so the primary aims of my design were to increase the capacity for carrying multiple works, improve access throughout the gallery and to provide teams with the correct tools and fixings for each job.

The original design was very successful and the physical changes I made were relatively minor. I added a horizontal extension allowing us to transport larger paintings, slimmed the overall width of the trolley by 50mm to make it easier to pass through doorways, gave it radial corners to remove the sharp edges and increased the clearance around the wheels allowing us to fit brakes. The trolley itself is made from aluminium rather than the original steel design with a 3mm steel deck replacing the 18mm ply and weighting the bottom to ensure stability and provide the necessary weight for the vibration dampening function of the wheels. For the overall structure I reduced the distance between the two outer uprights which both increases the ability to stack paintings side by side but also increases the central space on the deck for items that need to travel flat.

Working across a large site such as the National Gallery one key issue is ensuring that teams have the right tools and hardware ready to hand for each job. We try to minimise the equipment carried by individual technicians and so the majority of our fixings, screws and tooling are kept in the two drawers of each yellow trolley. Maintaining stock and making sure everything goes back in the right place can be difficult during busy periods and a regular frustration for our teams is tracking back and forth across the gallery in search of missing items. For the new trolley I have designed a removable insert for the fixings drawer. The intention is to provide two inserts for each trolley with fixings specific to the two different hanging systems we work with; either hanging from chains or screwing fixings directly into the wall. Through the act of collecting the right drawer insert for each job I am hoping that the process of acknowledging the contents and stock before setting off will become automatic, thereby reducing the frustration of finding items missing. The inserts also double as a tool box that can be removed for easy access during installs and to be restocked at the end of each day.

Alongside the project of designing the trolley we also repurposed a small existing storage area to function as a tooling station and essentially a garage for the trolleys to be stored in. This area has become key to the function of the new trolley design and intended usage, it puts all of the stock, tooling and resources in one place and the layout is arranged specifically around ease of access with a work bench for storing and stocking the drawer inserts. Providing a space for the trolleys to be returned to at the end of each day and collected from every morning may seem incredibly simple but working across such a large site with multiple picture stores and two tooling areas represents a subtle but fundamental change to how we think about the trolleys and how we use them on a daily basis

[https://wiki.ng-london.org.uk/ah/Profiles_of_Staff:_past_and_present Tom Hemming]
Tom Hemming, Team Supervisor

[[File:NewYellowTrolley.jpg|280px|left]]
 

'''Picture Bin'''

The second type of transportation equipment used for yellow moves is the picture bin. The concept for this consists of any kind of box on wheels able to carry small works by placing dividers between each work to allow “bridging”. The department has designed a standard National Gallery picture bin and has two units available to it. However, it is possible to quickly and easily produced this equipment, constructed from MDF or wood and ply and have at least another 10 units made in this way that were produced during temporary periods of very high picture movements (for example emptying stores). The bins are also very useful as temporary storage units where small works can be safely held and accounted for within a proper storage facility.

Unlike the yellow trolleys, there is obviously a physical limit to the size of the works that can be held within a bin. Normally this tends to be paintings with a major frame dimension of no more than 75cms, the works will also be required to weigh less than 25kgs each.

[[File:PictureBin.jpg|280px|left]]

 

'''Silver Equipment'''

The two primary pieces of equipment used in this category of move is a standard, 2000kg manually operated hydraulic stacker (maximum platform height of 4.5ms) and the National Gallery stacker trolley, designed by the department for this purpose. The aim of the stacker trolley is to transport the painting to the installation site and then be attached to the manual stacker so providing the lifting power to install or de-install the work. This operation removes most of the manual handling of the work itself, so providing a good health and safety option for the department as well as improving basic preventative conservation needs when transporting larger paintings within the gallery.

This type of equipment, from the original prototype, has been extensively remodelled and improved over a number of years through the creation of 7 different models or Marques. This includes designs which relate to specific roles necessary in the gallery or specific objects in the collection. For example, the Leonardo Cartoon is displayed using a specially reinforced, glazed steel box. This weighs about 190kgs so nominally would take it outside the silver category. However as this is the most efficient method we have of installing the work then a specific stacker trolley was created for this role.

When using this method of transportation and installation, it is often necessary for team members to work at height. Therefore,

the third piece of equipment associated with the category is a MEWP, working at height runabout. The type we use is the Genie GR 12. This piece of equipment needs to be versatile and sensitive enough to work around the stacker trolley set-up and we have found it has almost completely eliminated the use of step ladders within the procedure, an original goal of the process design.

The original concept for the equipment came from one of our senior technicians and the following statement by him describes how a prototype design was first agreed:

'''Silver Trolley'''

We have been using our stacker trolleys for 16 years now and they have proved a unique and practical way of undertaking the installation of large paintings within The National Gallery's collection. They have also become indispensable to the installation of smaller paintings at height in galleries where the pictures are double hung.

The story about how they came into being, highlights how the art handling department has been able to gain inspiration to create new methods of working, through visits to other Institutions around the world. For example, while helping on the de-installation of the Dennis Mahon exhibition up in Edinburgh in 1997 I noticed that the technicians there were using table tennis tables which could be folded up and moved around on wheels for packing and unpacking works of art. Our portable packing tables at the time were by comparison heavy, cumbersome and time consuming to move. As a result, we sourced our own table tennis tables and have been using them ever since as have a growing number of other galleries around the world.

This brings us back to the stacker trolley. On a courier trip to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich in November 1999 with a large full length portrait by Van Dyck, I witnessed the conservators (who also doubled as the art handling team there) place the painting face in on a large wooden A frame trolley, which was taken up to the galleries after the conservation check had been completed. Once the position for the installation had been established two of the team went up ladders on either side and a third member proceeded to pick up the whole A frame with a genie superlift stacker. The trolley was steadied by the two staff members up the ladders as it rose to the height at which the picture was to be hung. Once at height the two technicians hooked up the picture to the wire hanging system which was used throughout the gallery, unstrapped the painting and slowly lowered the A Frame while the technicians supported the picture allowing it back to the wall gently as the A frame descended. I was struck by how little additional handling was needed and how easily the installation had proceeded.

Consequently, on returning to The National Gallery I suggested we might try and develop a trolley which would be designed solely for this purpose. We had just had our own in house designed regular picture trolleys fabricated for us by a firm up in Tamworth near Birmingham and were confident they would be able to make these new trolleys for us.

It took roughly two and a half years before we were in a place where finances and time came together to allow us to start designing the first National Gallery stacker trolleys. The initial idea had come from my courier trip to Munich, but it was Patrick O’Sullivan who was to undertake drawing up the design along with solving the nuts and bolts issues creating a new trolley like this required. We discussed the features a bespoke trolley of this sort should have, and Patrick incorporated these into his design.

Like our new picture trolleys, the stacker trolleys were to be adjustable giving them as much flexibility over the sizes of pictures they could accommodate as possible. They were designed with a top bar which could extend both vertically (like our regular picture trolleys) but in addition horizontally on both sides. Patrick also designed two raised, padded feet which were attached and could slide along an aluminium bar which ran the length of the base of the trolley and gave adjustment to accommodate the decorative mouldings and carvings on the large variety of picture frames they would be employed to support.

He also designed the wheelbase to slide back when the trolley was lifted off the ground, either to install or de-install a painting. This meant that the padded feet could be brought right up to the wall making it possible to lift the picture straight off or onto the wall brackets from the trolley in most situations. They could then be slid back into position before being lowered to the ground giving the trolleys maximum stability for moving around the gallery when loaded, with large pictures.

Also, unlike the A frame in Munich which was just lifted from underneath by the stacker. These trolleys had a compartment designed into the framework underneath which snugly housed the tines of the stacker. There was also a bar which allowed the stacker and the trolley to be coupled together giving us the insurance the trolley could not slip of the tines with a painting in situ.

In 2004 the first prototype stacker trolley arrived at the gallery and proved itself invaluable in the day to day work of the art handling department. We discovered that not only was the trolley making the installation of large paintings easier for art handlers, but it also gave the curators a secure way of viewing a painting against the wall before settling on the height at which they intended to hang it.

The process before this involved padding out the tines of a stacker. Lifting the picture off a trolley manually and balancing it on those tines while it was precariously lifted into position. If especially large, one or two technicians were needed up on ladders to keep the balance at the top of the painting.

Now, a picture could be brought into position and lifted to the desired height without the added complication of ladders and technicians obscuring the view of the painting on the wall. It also often resulted in less handling for the pictures as they can be stored temporarily on the trolley until they were needed again.

Six months after the arrival of the first prototype we added another two improved versions of the first prototype to our growing collection of in house designed equipment. We eventually donated the original prototype to The National Museum Cardiff and have replaced the two trolleys which arrived after it with new improved versions, all of which were designed by Patrick.

We now have eight stacker trolleys, including two smaller units for installing smaller paintings at height. (One of which has been designed to double up specifically for the installation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Cartoon NG6337. ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist.”)

Wheel units no longer slide but swivel and several of the units have top bars which only lift vertically. Between them they cover most of the paintings within the collection that are better suited to being stackered into position rather than lifted manually. They are also regularly used as temporary storage units helping us to keep down the manual handling of large paintings to a bare minimum.

All in all, our stacker trolleys have proved an indispensable tool in the safe handling of large paintings. They continue to aid us in the installation, movement and storage of our larger paintings with an ease and simplicity we could hardly have imagined when the department started back in 1992.

Danny Metcalf Senior Art Handler

'''Blue Equipment'''

As this includes the most technically challenging works in the collection, the process and equipment used to move these objects also tends to be the most complicated. The main piece of equipment used in a blue move is the blue hoist. This item is essentially a large lifting and transportation device that also includes a significant working at height capability and several features to ease the operation and protect the object in transport.

Essentially though the concept for the blue hoist is very similar to the silver categories stacker trolley. In keeping with our general approach to large equipment within the Gallery site, the design of the blue hoist is modular. As with the stacker trolley, the lifting “engine” of the hoist is provided by a standard, 2000kgs stacker which marries with the hoist in a similar way to the Stacker trolley. The use of this approach has meant that the design could originally be more easily developed by the department as more complex elements, such as a hydraulic capability, could be ignored. The design also includes two working at height access towers that join with the main hoist body to provide access for the team. Tower outriggers (as found in standard mobile scaffold platforms) are not necessary as the main body of the hoist provides the stability. These towers can be swapped out for the GR12 MEWPS accordingly, at least one MEWP always being needed to perform other functions with the hoist.

The design also includes a movable tyne system that is arranged in all three axis allowing the position of the hoist to be replicated for each move whilst the tynes go and “grab” the object. In addition, two “picture clamps” are situated at the top of the hoist. These can be adjusted to take into account the width of a picture (up to a maximum of 5.5 metres) and are used to hold the painting vertically when the works are moved (something vital for the moving of altarpieces).

The hoist has eliminated the need for manual lifting of the largest objects in the collection, however the operation still involves a significant use of the teams’ resource with at least 6 technicians required for a blue move.

In addition to the hoist, blue move equipment also includes other items such as the picture carrying “towers”. These are large, triangular shaped carrying scaffolds that are used to move objects through specific routes of the Gallery or to free the use of the blue hoist, allowing multiple blue moves in one session (something that has become more frequent).

== Equipment ==

The art handling department deploys several general and bespoke pieces of equipment to carry out our role. Our approach has been to develop the processes and concepts for our tasks and then to match the equipment to our needs. This has led to a significant design program within the department over many years that has resulted in original design solutions and models of equipment that have then been improved upon. These include the following:

'''The Standard Picture Trolley'''

Associated with the yellow category move, our standard trolley was first developed in 1998 as a general-use piece of equipment assigned to art handling teams. The trolley is durable enough to transport all categories of pictures within the collection but is primarily used to transport multiple works simultaneously. The trolley also has the capacity to safely carry tools and materials for the team whilst transporting pictures. The original design has recently been upgraded to a new model by Tom Hemming, one of our team supervisors.

'''The Stacker Trolley'''

Associated with the Aluminium move, this picture trolley is used to transport and install larger category works. It is designed for one painting at a time and links with a hydraulic stacker to ease installation for the team. This design has undergone several modifications and variants.

'''The Case Roller'''

This piece of equipment was developed by the team to facilitate the unpacking of paintings from their cases. Most picture cases (used for external transport) must be laid flat to be unpacked and this usually requires a significant physical effort. The case roller acts as a quarter round lever and preparation table that makes this operation significantly easier.

'''The Blue Hoist'''

The blue hoist is a large, multi-functional picture transporter and installer that we developed to deal with the largest works in the collection. It is designed to register with our altarpiece display system and has features such as adjustable picture clamps made to hold a work in perfect vertical orientation for transport.

We also use a large range of common equipment normally found within art handling teams. These include J bars for cases, mobile packing tables, skoots and skates, weigh pallets and for working at height we use Mobile Elevated Work Platforms or MEWPS.

The standard model MEWP we use is the Genie GR12. This model has the right weight to height ratio necessary for our gallery environment. We have two of these and they have completely replaced the use of ladders and made redundant the use of scaffold. Step ladders are still occasionally used under normal, health and safety protocols.

== Complicated Installations ==

As mentioned in our category system, the art handling department adopts a three-part system of classification for each artwork in the collection. The blue category includes the largest and heaviest works that also provide the biggest technical challenge to us. Most of these works are large altarpieces or canvases that exceed the limits imposed on the other categories, and special equipment (namely in the form of the blue hoist) has been developed to deal with these moves.

However, there are several moves that can be considered exceptionally significant even within the terms of the blue category and these we call complicated installations. This category of move usually requires further processes or equipment designs to be developed, including some intervention to support the object itself. Usually this is due to the fragility of the object involved with respect to its size but can also be due to display requirements, such as a particular framing approach. A good example of this category is the requirements for the large painting by Sebastiano del Piombo The Raising of Lazarus (NG1).

NG1 is a painting with significant conservation issues around its structure that have caused considerable problems when it was necessary to move the work. The picture was originally a large altarpiece painted on a thick wooden support (exact nature unknown) which was then “transferred” during the 18th century whilst in the possession of the French royal court. The transferring process simply involves removing the original wooden support and replacing it with a canvas one. However, over time this caused significant conservation issues and when it became the responsibility of The National Gallery art handling department to move it (late 20th century) the process necessary to do so was too precarious to carry out without risking damage to the painting. A new process was necessary and would involve designing a support system for the painting which could then work with the newly designed blue hoist.

[[File:NG1moveRoom9_32.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_50.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_56.jpg|300px]]

 

'''New structural support for NG1'''

We had already adopted a possible solution in other altarpieces. This involved designing an aluminium “cage” that would fit around the painting as a permanent feature. This would then replace the picture frame as the standard support for the work, meaning the painting could be safely de-framed (necessary for NG1 in particular). In addition, a system of four “screens” was designed that could attach to the new cage. These would wrap around the front of the work where strategically placed soft pads would gently hold the surface of the work in place whilst it was moved (the main issue being the movement of the surface on the canvas). This support system could be applied whilst the work was hanging and would provide protection against the normal art handling techniques such as “bowling” (the re-orientation of a work from one axis to another). This also meant that the main display frame became a “veneer” for appearance only, as the structural load of the work was taken by the new support frame. With this arrangement, the work could now be de-installed and moved using the blue hoist system as described in the blue category.

'''Installing the new display frame'''

At the time of the development of the support system for NG1, we also discussed the possibility of a new display frame that would fit around it and reproduce the main altarpiece form its original location in a church in Italy. However, it would be several more years before this project began, eventually being realised due to the picture’s involvement in the gallery exhibition of Sebastiano and Michelangelo in 2017.

This project added another level of complexity to this move as it involved the installation of an extremely large frame in four parts, placed around the painting once the work itself had already been installed. To make this possible we developed an installation system that “registered” with the cage of the painting when installed.

The new systems have proved to be very successful and have allowed the painting to be moved as required (something we had stopped doing prior to the development of the process). However, it remains possibly the most complicated of moves necessary at The National Gallery, made more so by its very impressive display frame.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

[[File:NG1unframedB.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframedC.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframed.jpg|300px]]

 

== Loan Preparation ==

As a department we are central to the loan programme and we work closely with several key departments including collection registrars, curatorial, conservation, framing and photography.

The loan process begins with the collection registrars who receive loan requests from museums and galleries across the world.

This in turn triggers a whole process. Art handling becomes heavily involved once a case order is received from one of the collection registrars. For over 25 years, we worked with Kent Services Limited (KSL) as a supplier of cases to the gallery, which we used to loan works from the collection. Sadly, in late 2020 they ceased trading. We now have a stock of cases they we purchased from KSL and we fit them out with Polyurethane open cell foam (grade S275) and Plastazote LD45 for each painting in the collection that goes on loan.

The case order form contains key information such as the medium, framed dimensions and conservation requirements. We use this information and some other vital details to allocate a suitable case from our stock. We may have to transport the case from offsite storage, then fit out that case, ready for loan. The last stage of this part of the process is to create an invoice for the borrower as they pay for the rental of the case for the duration of the loan.

Later in the loan process we schedule the removal of works from display that are going on loan. This will mean a minor or major rehang of that gallery and we liaise with the relevant curator in order to complete this work. They supply us with a plan, usually a visual document, and we check this and translate the details into TMS. This enable the art handlers to have a worksheet to work from and refer to. We also provide labels for each work, they are written by the curator in question but checked and printed by us, ready for the hang.

This hang is organised in advance and considers any conservation or framing work that needs to take place before going on loan. If a work is not on display it is moved from storage to conservation for pre-loan checks and for the work to be carried out.

We organise the packing of works and coordinate the presence of a Conservator in order to check the painting right before it is packed into the case. Finally, when the case is collected at handling is present for the moving and loading.

When a painting comes back from loan this process happens in reverse and we organise each stage of this process, liaising with, and physically moving the painting and rehanging it in the gallery.

Over the course of a normal year we loan approximately 100 paintings from the collection. Therefore, this process happens multiple times and on any one day there are several loans at various stages in this process.

Louise Marlborough, Administrator

The Team

2023-04-25T14:47:12Z

Lmarlborough:

== History of the Department ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department officially came into being on the 31st of August 1992. As the newly recruited head of team I had started two weeks earlier on the 17th in order to gain some idea of how things operated at the gallery and meet some of the many members of staff we would be working with in the coming years. The team was set up by Patricia Goddard a conservator who the gallery had hired as their picture movements officer roughly three years earlier.

As the picture movements officer Trish Goddard oversaw all the gallery’s picture movements which were carried out by a team of the gallery’s security personnel known collectively as the special working party. They were handpicked by their head of team whose name was Peter Brett. Peter had been doing the job for 26 years and was close to retirement. He had a large practical knowledge of the collection and could tell you where most of the pictures were at any given time without having access to TMS or any of the systems we have in place today. Although the special working party were capable of carry out the work they did with supervision, because they were officially part of the security department there were often conflicts of interest and the personnel who Peter would choose were taught on the job with no previous art handling experience. This was not an ideal situation, given the quality and prestige of The National Gallery’s collection.

As the gallery was moving towards mounting more temporary exhibitions with the opening of the Sainsbury wing a year earlier Trish felt that what was needed urgently was a team of experienced art handlers who would be dedicated to the care of the gallery’s collection and could be relied on to get the work done when it was required and without having to juggle it with their security duties. It took her and the head of exhibitions (Michael Wilson) two years to convince the gallery they needed a dedicated team, and this was to be the beginning of a new chapter in how the gallery would manage the movement of its pictures and loans to and from the collection.

My first two weeks at the gallery went by in a whirlwind of activity. I worked with Peter, his supervisor (Colin Lyonette) and of course the special working party who were made up of a core team which depending on the day and the jobs would be supplemented with other members of the security department who would be called in to assist when needed. Out of this core team there were four who had successfully interviewed for the new department that was about to be launched. They were John Thompson, Ray Butcher, Nigel Stevens and Stewart Wilson. John, Ray and Nigel had all worked for the security department as warders for years but had become tried and tested members of Peter’s core team so had done a lot of work with the special working party. Stewart had joined the gallery just over a year earlier as a warder but on the condition that he would be able to work with the special working party. He was a lot younger than the others and was a practising artist in his spare time. He knew the new department was in the process of being developed and joined the gallery with a view to gaining a place in there when it was finally formed.

On the morning of the 31st of August, I went to collect the new team members from the waiting room by the Wilkins entrance. The new arrivals were Mark Slattery, Matthew Thompson and Dominic Moore. Mark and Matthew had come from art transport and service companies (as had I) and Dominic came from working over at the South Bank Centre. It was an understatement to say this was quite a change for all us moving to an institution like The National Gallery. Everything was a great deal more regimented and systems were in place for most of the things we did.

Over the first year as we gained confidence and became conversant with what we were expected to do we were able to start making changes to the way we operated. There were many archaic practises and pieces of equipment in place which needed updating. We added drawers and upgraded the two old wooden picture trolleys which seemed to have been in use since the 50’s or 60’s possibly even earlier than that. We got rid of slot head screws which seemed to be the gold standard when the rest of the world had moved over to cross headed screws decades before. We bought cordless drill drivers and made up new skates to replace the old piano wheels (which were all the team had available up till then.)

We were very fortunate in that Trish was keen to see us develop our roll and turn the art handling department into a world class unit. Looking back from my vantage point today I believe that vision has been realized beyond anything we could have imagined back at the beginning and continues to be improved on constantly. We have gone from a gallery where all work at height was done off tall apex ladders which would make any health and safety officer shudder to Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPS).

We have developed and had manufactured a range of new adjustable picture trolleys to help us move pictures and make their installation simpler and safer along with a case roller to make the packing and unpacking of paintings safer and easier. We have also redesigned and changed most of the hanging hardware the gallery uses and are continuing to innovate and improve the systems we have in place. It is exciting to see how much we have changed and improved our equipment and methods of working over the years. As we look to the future it is safe to say that we will not be stopping the designing and innovating that characterises this department any time soon.

Danny Metcalf, Senior Technician

[[File:SpecialWorkingParty.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Organisational Chart ==

[[File:AH_Organisational_Chart_Feb_23.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Current Roles ==

The art handling team at The National Gallery has gone through a number of structural changes throughout its 30-year history, the most recent of which included an expansion of the technician resource.

The team complement of the art handling department had remained relatively stable for most of its history, established at between 9 and 10 technicians plus the head of department on the department’s formation in 1992. This figure decreased slightly from 2000 onwards but since 2015 the volume and ambition of the gallery, particularly in the field of exhibitions and site reconstruction, has expanded enormously. This has led to a corresponding need to increase our resources and reappraise our approach in the face of this expansion.

The team complement is now 14 with 12 dedicated technicians plus an administrator role and the head of department. The technician structure is now split into three sections consisting of 3 senior technicians, 4 team supervisors and 5 art handlers.

The following is a description each role and its primary function, the tasks mentioned being by no means exclusive.

'''Senior Technician'''

As the volume and complexity of our work has increased over the years, we have adopted a project-based approach to our schedule to organise ourselves. The aim of the department is to have enough resources and team management capacity to be able to deliver two major projects plus our normal collection management work in any given week. Crucial to this is the role of the senior technician. As projects are assigned to each senior technician. Their role is to accept the responsibility of all necessary logistical, communication and team functions that will deliver the project from the point of view of art handling. This includes liaising with the head of department, keeping them informed of the progress of the project and seeking assistance where necessary.

A key element is the management of the main team, assessing and securing the resources necessary and then instructing the team in their actions. As part of team management, the senior technician will appoint a team supervisor as their deputy on each of the projects they have responsibility for.

National Gallery senior technicians are required to have extensive and expert knowledge and experience of the role of art handling. This will include an accumulation of technical knowledge concerning the gallery collection itself. The role of the senior being the primary source of art handling expertise when representing the gallery in any area.

In addition, senior technicians are expected to innovate both in the area of process and equipment. This will also involve managing projects begun by other members of the team including evaluating the project viability and designing a road map to see through to completion.

'''Team Supervisor'''

The National Gallery team supervisor works closely with the senior technician on any project as defined by the head of department and the senior technician. The team supervisor will work directly with the main technician complement of the team, supervising them in the tasks assigned to the department. This involves active participation in all activities, ensuring the standards required of the team are met and that each technician has the necessary support to fulfil their role.

The team supervisor will also deputise for any senior technician on a temporary basis according to the needs of a particular project. This includes representing the senior technician at planning meetings as well as accepting the responsibilities of the senior technician at major events such as installations.

The role requires extensive practical experience and the team supervisor is expected to have developed significant knowledge and expertise within the area of art handling.

In addition, the team supervisor is expected to be able to contribute to any technical discussion including innovating on technical solutions. The team supervisor is also expected to instigate or accept leadership of some projects, referring to the senior technician for guidance where necessary.

'''Art Handler'''

The role of an art handler at The National Gallery covers all practical considerations within the area of art handling. This includes activity around the collection, any exhibition on site and the correct handling and preparation of any work of art within the confines of The National Gallery site. In addition, National Gallery art handlers frequently work as couriers for the gallery, representing all gallery concerns when loaning elements of the collection to our partners and allied institutions.

Art Handlers are expected to already have developed a strong knowledge of the principles of art handling before they join the team at the gallery. This will include extensive experience within the field and the acquiring of excellent practical skills associated with the work.

Art handling teams rely on strong communication and teamwork attributes and each National Gallery art handler is expected to be a willing team member, adaptable to the many different scenarios they may experience within the discipline.

Though art handlers do not ordinarily lead on projects, all team members are expected to be capable of innovation and independence of thought dedicated to the solution of a problem. Each art handler will normally be assigned a senior technician as their line manager and will be prepared to accept instructions from any member of the management team.

'''Administrator'''

The department administrator is a critical role that works closely with both the head of department and the senior technicians in all planning concerns regarding the activity of the team. The administrator is the main point of contact for all other gallery departments wishing to engage the art handling team or to share information.

The administrator will commonly make initial decisions on the viability of daily tasks of the team (for example the loans program) before working with the head to finalise the long-term schedule. They will act as support for each team project, working closely with a senior technician on all logistical matters to realise the goals of the department. All daily admin functions of the department fall within the remit of the administrator. This includes invoicing and budgeting, worksheet production, all external communication (including GDPR management) and the critical role of location recording and database management (from the perspective of art handling) of the collection.

The administrator is also the manager of the department’s wiki page, formulated to ensure the history and knowledge of the department is recorded and to promote high standards of practice within art handling.

'''Head of Department'''

The head of department takes responsibility for all aspects of the team’s performance. The main role of the head is to ensure the team performs its function within the principals and priorities as defined by the main mission of The National Gallery. This will include taking overall responsibility for all strategic and tactical concerns within the context of the department.

The head will have a strong working relationship with all members of the department, but this is particularly focused on the senior technicians and the department administrator.

The head will represent the department within the context of the management of the gallery including at external meetings or presentations. The department sits within the collection directorate and is considered an arm of preventative conservation, being closely associated with the gallery’s conservation department. The Head’s role in this area is to ensure the department functions within the principles of preventative conservation which should inform each part of the department’s activity.

The head works closely with the department administrator to plan both the daily and long-term work of the team. The head is also expected to have extensive experience and knowledge of all art handling areas and will on occasion lead or participate in significant activity.

The head will also innovate and promote improvements in all areas concerning the department. This may include equipment development, process design or team structure and requirements, both designing and implementing changes and improvements wherever necessary.

== A Day in the Life ... ==

As of writing, my time working behind the scenes in the art industry stands at approximately 7 years. During that time, I've had the privilege to explore a few distinct faces of the industry. The bulk of my experience lies in the private sector, having spent several years at art shipping / logistics companies. This experience saw me installing exhibitions at commercial galleries / art fairs, fabricating crates for shipping, and installing in private residences to name a few.

Working in the private sector can be incredibly fast paced, exciting and stressful. Often your own ingenuity and that of your colleagues is all you can rely on, as equipment and materials are often limited or lacking. As stimulating as that can be, it often left me feeling dissatisfied with the motivations of the individuals and companies I worked for.

The opportunity to work for a publicly funded institution like The National Gallery was something I couldn’t pass up.

Adapting to the processes and methods of the art handling department at The National Gallery required some un-learning and adjustment on my part. The department is well established and as a result has its own well-established idiosyncrasies. The department's equipment has been designed in-house and is unique to the Gallery. Equally so, the hardware art handling uses, has also been designed in-house by the various stalwarts of the department. Each new piece of equipment is designed or adapted out of necessity to solve a problem and is in a constant state of evolution and review to ensure it better fits its required use.

My colleagues and I are invited to engage in this conversation constantly which is flattering and refreshing. Before now I hadn’t worked in such a collegiate and collaborative environment.

Working at The National Gallery is almost the antithesis of my experience as a technician. The National Gallery is custodian to some 2,300 works and has been building its collection for nearly 200 years. Being a part of that, however small is incredibly humbling and I’m incredibly happy that I’ve found myself here.

Sam Hallett, Art Handler

== Profiles of Staff: Present and Past ==

 

[[File:AHTeamPortrait.jpg|500px|left]]

 

Team (current and former); left to right:
Simon Wallis, Dan Haddock, Sam Hallet, Alex Hinks,
 Mark Slattery, Patrick O'Sullivan, (seated back) Jamie Bell, Kasper Pincis, Tom Hemming
 (seated front) Alan Brooks, James Lindley, Danny Metcalf and Dave Morgan

'''Ray Butcher''' | Art Handler 1988 - 2012

The pathway into professional art handling in museums is often highly varied. Among the traits that are indispensable are an ability to use tools safely and effectively, and an understanding of the materials that are commonly used in the production of paintings, frames and mounts. With these essential abilities at Ray’s disposal, he was recruited onto the art handling team twelve months after joining the Gallery in 1987. He had just moved to London with his family from North Wales where he had been living and working. The drive to London was all the more dramatic due to the effects of the severe storm that hit the country the night before.

He was first hired as a room warder, guarding the paintings during opening times. He soon came to attention of Peter Brett, then head art handler. Back then the technicians were known as the Working Party. Ray says, ‘Given my background working with tools and my hands all my working life, he gave me a trial picture handling’. Members of the Working Party were recruited from the corps of warders and were required to continue working as such when not engaged in art handling duties, particularly on Sundays. He continues, ‘It went well for me and I took to it like a duck to water. In short, I loved it’.

Ray had served a trade apprenticeship in auto repair and made a good living repairing car bodies. It is a complex area requiring multiple skills and abilities from welding to paint spraying. Whilst welding generally isn’t a requirement for handling the collection, an ability to solve technical and mechanical problems certainly is. Ray came up with a number of innovations which served the needs of the department and was always keen to build and adapt equipment as necessary.

Along with technical prowess, personal skills are another necessary trait. Art handlers are frequently deployed to sites elsewhere where they perform a variety of duties normally associated with care of our collection. Representing the gallery in a professional capacity is another responsibility we demand of our team. Ray’s character lent itself very well to this diverse role.

He says, ‘In those days the new occupants of number 10 and 11 Downing St, were able to borrow paintings from the Gallery’s secondary collection. These were normally chosen by the spouse of the Prime Minister or Chancellor. That in turn afforded me the opportunity of visiting number 10 twice and number 11 once to courier paintings back after a change of personnel’.

Ray’s time at the gallery dates from before the Sainsbury Wing opened. He was one of the founding members of the modern art handling department, when the gallery changed from recruiting from the security team and established art handling as a specialism. During his time on the team he became a supervisor, personally mentoring and training newly appointed staff.

Ray retired from the gallery in 2012 and moved away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city Earls Court to a quieter life by the Kent coast.

Mark Slattery, Senior Technician

The Team

2023-04-25T14:44:16Z

Lmarlborough:

== History of the Department ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department officially came into being on the 31st of August 1992. As the newly recruited head of team I had started two weeks earlier on the 17th in order to gain some idea of how things operated at the gallery and meet some of the many members of staff we would be working with in the coming years. The team was set up by Patricia Goddard a conservator who the gallery had hired as their picture movements officer roughly three years earlier.

As the picture movements officer Trish Goddard oversaw all the gallery’s picture movements which were carried out by a team of the gallery’s security personnel known collectively as the special working party. They were handpicked by their head of team whose name was Peter Brett. Peter had been doing the job for 26 years and was close to retirement. He had a large practical knowledge of the collection and could tell you where most of the pictures were at any given time without having access to TMS or any of the systems we have in place today. Although the special working party were capable of carry out the work they did with supervision, because they were officially part of the security department there were often conflicts of interest and the personnel who Peter would choose were taught on the job with no previous art handling experience. This was not an ideal situation, given the quality and prestige of The National Gallery’s collection.

As the gallery was moving towards mounting more temporary exhibitions with the opening of the Sainsbury wing a year earlier Trish felt that what was needed urgently was a team of experienced art handlers who would be dedicated to the care of the gallery’s collection and could be relied on to get the work done when it was required and without having to juggle it with their security duties. It took her and the head of exhibitions (Michael Wilson) two years to convince the gallery they needed a dedicated team, and this was to be the beginning of a new chapter in how the gallery would manage the movement of its pictures and loans to and from the collection.

My first two weeks at the gallery went by in a whirlwind of activity. I worked with Peter, his supervisor (Colin Lyonette) and of course the special working party who were made up of a core team which depending on the day and the jobs would be supplemented with other members of the security department who would be called in to assist when needed. Out of this core team there were four who had successfully interviewed for the new department that was about to be launched. They were John Thompson, Ray Butcher, Nigel Stevens and Stewart Wilson. John, Ray and Nigel had all worked for the security department as warders for years but had become tried and tested members of Peter’s core team so had done a lot of work with the special working party. Stewart had joined the gallery just over a year earlier as a warder but on the condition that he would be able to work with the special working party. He was a lot younger than the others and was a practising artist in his spare time. He knew the new department was in the process of being developed and joined the gallery with a view to gaining a place in there when it was finally formed.

On the morning of the 31st of August, I went to collect the new team members from the waiting room by the Wilkins entrance. The new arrivals were Mark Slattery, Matthew Thompson and Dominic Moore. Mark and Matthew had come from art transport and service companies (as had I) and Dominic came from working over at the South Bank Centre. It was an understatement to say this was quite a change for all us moving to an institution like The National Gallery. Everything was a great deal more regimented and systems were in place for most of the things we did.

Over the first year as we gained confidence and became conversant with what we were expected to do we were able to start making changes to the way we operated. There were many archaic practises and pieces of equipment in place which needed updating. We added drawers and upgraded the two old wooden picture trolleys which seemed to have been in use since the 50’s or 60’s possibly even earlier than that. We got rid of slot head screws which seemed to be the gold standard when the rest of the world had moved over to cross headed screws decades before. We bought cordless drill drivers and made up new skates to replace the old piano wheels (which were all the team had available up till then.)

We were very fortunate in that Trish was keen to see us develop our roll and turn the art handling department into a world class unit. Looking back from my vantage point today I believe that vision has been realized beyond anything we could have imagined back at the beginning and continues to be improved on constantly. We have gone from a gallery where all work at height was done off tall apex ladders which would make any health and safety officer shudder to Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPS).

We have developed and had manufactured a range of new adjustable picture trolleys to help us move pictures and make their installation simpler and safer along with a case roller to make the packing and unpacking of paintings safer and easier. We have also redesigned and changed most of the hanging hardware the gallery uses and are continuing to innovate and improve the systems we have in place. It is exciting to see how much we have changed and improved our equipment and methods of working over the years. As we look to the future it is safe to say that we will not be stopping the designing and innovating that characterises this department any time soon.

Danny Metcalf, Senior Technician

[[File:SpecialWorkingParty.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Organisational Chart ==

[[File:AH_Organisational_Chart_Feb_23.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Current Roles ==

The art handling team at The National Gallery has gone through a number of structural changes throughout its 28-year history, the most recent of which included an expansion of the technician resource.

The team complement of the art handling department had remained relatively stable for most of its history, established at between 9 and 10 technicians plus the head of department on the department’s formation in 1992. This figure decreased slightly from 2000 onwards but since 2015 the volume and ambition of the gallery, particularly in the field of exhibitions and site reconstruction, has expanded enormously. This has led to a corresponding need to increase our resources and reappraise our approach in the face of this expansion.

The team complement is now 14 with 12 dedicated technicians plus an administrator role and the head of department. The technician structure is now split into three sections consisting of 3 senior technicians, 3 team supervisors and 6 art handlers.

The following is a description each role and its primary function, the tasks mentioned being by no means exclusive.

'''Senior Technician'''

As the volume and complexity of our work has increased over the years, we have adopted a project-based approach to our schedule to organise ourselves. The aim of the department is to have enough resources and team management capacity to be able to deliver two major projects plus our normal collection management work in any given week. Crucial to this is the role of the senior technician. As projects are assigned to each senior technician. Their role is to accept the responsibility of all necessary logistical, communication and team functions that will deliver the project from the point of view of art handling. This includes liaising with the head of department, keeping them informed of the progress of the project and seeking assistance where necessary.

A key element is the management of the main team, assessing and securing the resources necessary and then instructing the team in their actions. As part of team management, the senior technician will appoint a team supervisor as their deputy on each of the projects they have responsibility for.

National Gallery senior technicians are required to have extensive and expert knowledge and experience of the role of art handling. This will include an accumulation of technical knowledge concerning the gallery collection itself. The role of the senior being the primary source of art handling expertise when representing the gallery in any area.

In addition, senior technicians are expected to innovate both in the area of process and equipment. This will also involve managing projects begun by other members of the team including evaluating the project viability and designing a road map to see through to completion.

'''Team Supervisor'''

The National Gallery team supervisor works closely with the senior technician on any project as defined by the head of department and the senior technician. The team supervisor will work directly with the main technician complement of the team, supervising them in the tasks assigned to the department. This involves active participation in all activities, ensuring the standards required of the team are met and that each technician has the necessary support to fulfil their role.

The team supervisor will also deputise for any senior technician on a temporary basis according to the needs of a particular project. This includes representing the senior technician at planning meetings as well as accepting the responsibilities of the senior technician at major events such as installations.

The role requires extensive practical experience and the team supervisor is expected to have developed significant knowledge and expertise within the area of art handling.

In addition, the team supervisor is expected to be able to contribute to any technical discussion including innovating on technical solutions. The team supervisor is also expected to instigate or accept leadership of some projects, referring to the senior technician for guidance where necessary.

'''Art Handler'''

The role of an art handler at The National Gallery covers all practical considerations within the area of art handling. This includes activity around the collection, any exhibition on site and the correct handling and preparation of any work of art within the confines of The National Gallery site. In addition, National Gallery art handlers frequently work as couriers for the gallery, representing all gallery concerns when loaning elements of the collection to our partners and allied institutions.

Art Handlers are expected to already have developed a strong knowledge of the principles of art handling before they join the team at the gallery. This will include extensive experience within the field and the acquiring of excellent practical skills associated with the work.

Art handling teams rely on strong communication and teamwork attributes and each National Gallery art handler is expected to be a willing team member, adaptable to the many different scenarios they may experience within the discipline.

Though art handlers do not ordinarily lead on projects, all team members are expected to be capable of innovation and independence of thought dedicated to the solution of a problem. Each art handler will normally be assigned a senior technician as their line manager and will be prepared to accept instructions from any member of the management team.

'''Administrator'''

The department administrator is a critical role that works closely with both the head of department and the senior technicians in all planning concerns regarding the activity of the team. The administrator is the main point of contact for all other gallery departments wishing to engage the art handling team or to share information.

The administrator will commonly make initial decisions on the viability of daily tasks of the team (for example the loans program) before working with the head to finalise the long-term schedule. They will act as support for each team project, working closely with a senior technician on all logistical matters to realise the goals of the department. All daily admin functions of the department fall within the remit of the administrator. This includes invoicing and budgeting, worksheet production, all external communication (including GDPR management) and the critical role of location recording and database management (from the perspective of art handling) of the collection.

The administrator is also the manager of the department’s wiki page, formulated to ensure the history and knowledge of the department is recorded and to promote high standards of practice within art handling.

'''Head of Department'''

The head of department takes responsibility for all aspects of the team’s performance. The main role of the head is to ensure the team performs its function within the principals and priorities as defined by the main mission of The National Gallery. This will include taking overall responsibility for all strategic and tactical concerns within the context of the department.

The head will have a strong working relationship with all members of the department, but this is particularly focused on the senior technicians and the department administrator.

The head will represent the department within the context of the management of the gallery including at external meetings or presentations. The department sits within the collection directorate and is considered an arm of preventative conservation, being closely associated with the gallery’s conservation department. The Head’s role in this area is to ensure the department functions within the principles of preventative conservation which should inform each part of the department’s activity.

The head works closely with the department administrator to plan both the daily and long-term work of the team. The head is also expected to have extensive experience and knowledge of all art handling areas and will on occasion lead or participate in significant activity.

The head will also innovate and promote improvements in all areas concerning the department. This may include equipment development, process design or team structure and requirements, both designing and implementing changes and improvements wherever necessary.

== A Day in the Life ... ==

As of writing, my time working behind the scenes in the art industry stands at approximately 7 years. During that time, I've had the privilege to explore a few distinct faces of the industry. The bulk of my experience lies in the private sector, having spent several years at art shipping / logistics companies. This experience saw me installing exhibitions at commercial galleries / art fairs, fabricating crates for shipping, and installing in private residences to name a few.

Working in the private sector can be incredibly fast paced, exciting and stressful. Often your own ingenuity and that of your colleagues is all you can rely on, as equipment and materials are often limited or lacking. As stimulating as that can be, it often left me feeling dissatisfied with the motivations of the individuals and companies I worked for.

The opportunity to work for a publicly funded institution like The National Gallery was something I couldn’t pass up.

Adapting to the processes and methods of the art handling department at The National Gallery required some un-learning and adjustment on my part. The department is well established and as a result has its own well-established idiosyncrasies. The department's equipment has been designed in-house and is unique to the Gallery. Equally so, the hardware art handling uses, has also been designed in-house by the various stalwarts of the department. Each new piece of equipment is designed or adapted out of necessity to solve a problem and is in a constant state of evolution and review to ensure it better fits its required use.

My colleagues and I are invited to engage in this conversation constantly which is flattering and refreshing. Before now I hadn’t worked in such a collegiate and collaborative environment.

Working at The National Gallery is almost the antithesis of my experience as a technician. The National Gallery is custodian to some 2,300 works and has been building its collection for nearly 200 years. Being a part of that, however small is incredibly humbling and I’m incredibly happy that I’ve found myself here.

Sam Hallett, Art Handler

== Profiles of Staff: Present and Past ==

 

[[File:AHTeamPortrait.jpg|500px|left]]

 

Team (current and former); left to right:
Simon Wallis, Dan Haddock, Sam Hallet, Alex Hinks,
 Mark Slattery, Patrick O'Sullivan, (seated back) Jamie Bell, Kasper Pincis, Tom Hemming
 (seated front) Alan Brooks, James Lindley, Danny Metcalf and Dave Morgan

'''Ray Butcher''' | Art Handler 1988 - 2012

The pathway into professional art handling in museums is often highly varied. Among the traits that are indispensable are an ability to use tools safely and effectively, and an understanding of the materials that are commonly used in the production of paintings, frames and mounts. With these essential abilities at Ray’s disposal, he was recruited onto the art handling team twelve months after joining the Gallery in 1987. He had just moved to London with his family from North Wales where he had been living and working. The drive to London was all the more dramatic due to the effects of the severe storm that hit the country the night before.

He was first hired as a room warder, guarding the paintings during opening times. He soon came to attention of Peter Brett, then head art handler. Back then the technicians were known as the Working Party. Ray says, ‘Given my background working with tools and my hands all my working life, he gave me a trial picture handling’. Members of the Working Party were recruited from the corps of warders and were required to continue working as such when not engaged in art handling duties, particularly on Sundays. He continues, ‘It went well for me and I took to it like a duck to water. In short, I loved it’.

Ray had served a trade apprenticeship in auto repair and made a good living repairing car bodies. It is a complex area requiring multiple skills and abilities from welding to paint spraying. Whilst welding generally isn’t a requirement for handling the collection, an ability to solve technical and mechanical problems certainly is. Ray came up with a number of innovations which served the needs of the department and was always keen to build and adapt equipment as necessary.

Along with technical prowess, personal skills are another necessary trait. Art handlers are frequently deployed to sites elsewhere where they perform a variety of duties normally associated with care of our collection. Representing the gallery in a professional capacity is another responsibility we demand of our team. Ray’s character lent itself very well to this diverse role.

He says, ‘In those days the new occupants of number 10 and 11 Downing St, were able to borrow paintings from the Gallery’s secondary collection. These were normally chosen by the spouse of the Prime Minister or Chancellor. That in turn afforded me the opportunity of visiting number 10 twice and number 11 once to courier paintings back after a change of personnel’.

Ray’s time at the gallery dates from before the Sainsbury Wing opened. He was one of the founding members of the modern art handling department, when the gallery changed from recruiting from the security team and established art handling as a specialism. During his time on the team he became a supervisor, personally mentoring and training newly appointed staff.

Ray retired from the gallery in 2012 and moved away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city Earls Court to a quieter life by the Kent coast.

Mark Slattery, Senior Technician

The Team

2023-02-15T17:58:24Z

Lmarlborough: /* Organisational Chart */

== History of the Department ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department officially came into being on the 31st of August 1992. As the newly recruited head of team I had started two weeks earlier on the 17th in order to gain some idea of how things operated at the gallery and meet some of the many members of staff we would be working with in the coming years. The team was set up by Patricia Goddard a conservator who the gallery had hired as their picture movements officer roughly three years earlier.

As the picture movements officer Trish Goddard oversaw all the gallery’s picture movements which were carried out by a team of the gallery’s security personnel known collectively as the special working party. They were handpicked by their head of team whose name was Peter Brett. Peter had been doing the job for 26 years and was close to retirement. He had a large practical knowledge of the collection and could tell you where most of the pictures were at any given time without having access to TMS or any of the systems we have in place today. Although the special working party were capable of carry out the work they did with supervision, because they were officially part of the security department there were often conflicts of interest and the personnel who Peter would choose were taught on the job with no previous art handling experience. This was not an ideal situation, given the quality and prestige of The National Gallery’s collection.

As the gallery was moving towards mounting more temporary exhibitions with the opening of the Sainsbury wing a year earlier Trish felt that what was needed urgently was a team of experienced art handlers who would be dedicated to the care of the gallery’s collection and could be relied on to get the work done when it was required and without having to juggle it with their security duties. It took her and the head of exhibitions (Michael Wilson) two years to convince the gallery they needed a dedicated team, and this was to be the beginning of a new chapter in how the gallery would manage the movement of its pictures and loans to and from the collection.

My first two weeks at the gallery went by in a whirlwind of activity. I worked with Peter, his supervisor (Colin Lyonette) and of course the special working party who were made up of a core team which depending on the day and the jobs would be supplemented with other members of the security department who would be called in to assist when needed. Out of this core team there were four who had successfully interviewed for the new department that was about to be launched. They were John Thompson, Ray Butcher, Nigel Stevens and Stewart Wilson. John, Ray and Nigel had all worked for the security department as warders for years but had become tried and tested members of Peter’s core team so had done a lot of work with the special working party. Stewart had joined the gallery just over a year earlier as a warder but on the condition that he would be able to work with the special working party. He was a lot younger than the others and was a practising artist in his spare time. He knew the new department was in the process of being developed and joined the gallery with a view to gaining a place in there when it was finally formed.

On the morning of the 31st of August, I went to collect the new team members from the waiting room by the Wilkins entrance. The new arrivals were Mark Slattery, Matthew Thompson and Dominic Moore. Mark and Matthew had come from art transport and service companies (as had I) and Dominic came from working over at the South Bank Centre. It was an understatement to say this was quite a change for all us moving to an institution like The National Gallery. Everything was a great deal more regimented and systems were in place for most of the things we did.

Over the first year as we gained confidence and became conversant with what we were expected to do we were able to start making changes to the way we operated. There were many archaic practises and pieces of equipment in place which needed updating. We added drawers and upgraded the two old wooden picture trolleys which seemed to have been in use since the 50’s or 60’s possibly even earlier than that. We got rid of slot head screws which seemed to be the gold standard when the rest of the world had moved over to cross headed screws decades before. We bought cordless drill drivers and made up new skates to replace the old piano wheels (which were all the team had available up till then.)

We were very fortunate in that Trish was keen to see us develop our roll and turn the art handling department into a world class unit. Looking back from my vantage point today I believe that vision has been realized beyond anything we could have imagined back at the beginning and continues to be improved on constantly. We have gone from a gallery where all work at height was done off tall apex ladders which would make any health and safety officer shudder to Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPS).

We have developed and had manufactured a range of new adjustable picture trolleys to help us move pictures and make their installation simpler and safer along with a case roller to make the packing and unpacking of paintings safer and easier. We have also redesigned and changed most of the hanging hardware the gallery uses and are continuing to innovate and improve the systems we have in place. It is exciting to see how much we have changed and improved our equipment and methods of working over the years. As we look to the future it is safe to say that we will not be stopping the designing and innovating that characterises this department any time soon.

[[Danny Metcalf|Danny Metcalf]] , Senior Technician

[[File:SpecialWorkingParty.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Organisational Chart ==

[[File:AH_Organisational_Chart_Feb_23.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Current Roles ==

The art handling team at The National Gallery has gone through a number of structural changes throughout its 28-year history, the most recent of which included an expansion of the technician resource.

The team complement of the art handling department had remained relatively stable for most of its history, established at between 9 and 10 technicians plus the head of department on the department’s formation in 1992. This figure decreased slightly from 2000 onwards but since 2015 the volume and ambition of the gallery, particularly in the field of exhibitions and site reconstruction, has expanded enormously. This has led to a corresponding need to increase our resources and reappraise our approach in the face of this expansion.

The team complement is now 14 with 12 dedicated technicians plus an administrator role and the head of department. The technician structure is now split into three sections consisting of 3 senior technicians, 3 team supervisors and 6 art handlers.

The following is a description each role and its primary function, the tasks mentioned being by no means exclusive.

'''Senior Technician'''

As the volume and complexity of our work has increased over the years, we have adopted a project-based approach to our schedule to organise ourselves. The aim of the department is to have enough resources and team management capacity to be able to deliver two major projects plus our normal collection management work in any given week. Crucial to this is the role of the senior technician. As projects are assigned to each senior technician. Their role is to accept the responsibility of all necessary logistical, communication and team functions that will deliver the project from the point of view of art handling. This includes liaising with the head of department, keeping them informed of the progress of the project and seeking assistance where necessary.

A key element is the management of the main team, assessing and securing the resources necessary and then instructing the team in their actions. As part of team management, the senior technician will appoint a team supervisor as their deputy on each of the projects they have responsibility for.

National Gallery senior technicians are required to have extensive and expert knowledge and experience of the role of art handling. This will include an accumulation of technical knowledge concerning the gallery collection itself. The role of the senior being the primary source of art handling expertise when representing the gallery in any area.

In addition, senior technicians are expected to innovate both in the area of process and equipment. This will also involve managing projects begun by other members of the team including evaluating the project viability and designing a road map to see through to completion.

'''Team Supervisor'''

The National Gallery team supervisor works closely with the senior technician on any project as defined by the head of department and the senior technician. The team supervisor will work directly with the main technician complement of the team, supervising them in the tasks assigned to the department. This involves active participation in all activities, ensuring the standards required of the team are met and that each technician has the necessary support to fulfil their role.

The team supervisor will also deputise for any senior technician on a temporary basis according to the needs of a particular project. This includes representing the senior technician at planning meetings as well as accepting the responsibilities of the senior technician at major events such as installations.

The role requires extensive practical experience and the team supervisor is expected to have developed significant knowledge and expertise within the area of art handling.

In addition, the team supervisor is expected to be able to contribute to any technical discussion including innovating on technical solutions. The team supervisor is also expected to instigate or accept leadership of some projects, referring to the senior technician for guidance where necessary.

'''Art Handler'''

The role of an art handler at The National Gallery covers all practical considerations within the area of art handling. This includes activity around the collection, any exhibition on site and the correct handling and preparation of any work of art within the confines of The National Gallery site. In addition, National Gallery art handlers frequently work as couriers for the gallery, representing all gallery concerns when loaning elements of the collection to our partners and allied institutions.

Art Handlers are expected to already have developed a strong knowledge of the principles of art handling before they join the team at the gallery. This will include extensive experience within the field and the acquiring of excellent practical skills associated with the work.

Art handling teams rely on strong communication and teamwork attributes and each National Gallery art handler is expected to be a willing team member, adaptable to the many different scenarios they may experience within the discipline.

Though art handlers do not ordinarily lead on projects, all team members are expected to be capable of innovation and independence of thought dedicated to the solution of a problem. Each art handler will normally be assigned a senior technician as their line manager and will be prepared to accept instructions from any member of the management team.

'''Administrator'''

The department administrator is a critical role that works closely with both the head of department and the senior technicians in all planning concerns regarding the activity of the team. The administrator is the main point of contact for all other gallery departments wishing to engage the art handling team or to share information.

The administrator will commonly make initial decisions on the viability of daily tasks of the team (for example the loans program) before working with the head to finalise the long-term schedule. They will act as support for each team project, working closely with a senior technician on all logistical matters to realise the goals of the department. All daily admin functions of the department fall within the remit of the administrator. This includes invoicing and budgeting, worksheet production, all external communication (including GDPR management) and the critical role of location recording and database management (from the perspective of art handling) of the collection.

The administrator is also the manager of the department’s wiki page, formulated to ensure the history and knowledge of the department is recorded and to promote high standards of practice within art handling.

'''Head of Department'''

The head of department takes responsibility for all aspects of the team’s performance. The main role of the head is to ensure the team performs its function within the principals and priorities as defined by the main mission of The National Gallery. This will include taking overall responsibility for all strategic and tactical concerns within the context of the department.

The head will have a strong working relationship with all members of the department, but this is particularly focused on the senior technicians and the department administrator.

The head will represent the department within the context of the management of the gallery including at external meetings or presentations. The department sits within the collection directorate and is considered an arm of preventative conservation, being closely associated with the gallery’s conservation department. The Head’s role in this area is to ensure the department functions within the principles of preventative conservation which should inform each part of the department’s activity.

The head works closely with the department administrator to plan both the daily and long-term work of the team. The head is also expected to have extensive experience and knowledge of all art handling areas and will on occasion lead or participate in significant activity.

The head will also innovate and promote improvements in all areas concerning the department. This may include equipment development, process design or team structure and requirements, both designing and implementing changes and improvements wherever necessary.

== A Day in the Life ... ==

As of writing, my time working behind the scenes in the art industry stands at approximately 7 years. During that time, I've had the privilege to explore a few distinct faces of the industry. The bulk of my experience lies in the private sector, having spent several years at art shipping / logistics companies. This experience saw me installing exhibitions at commercial galleries / art fairs, fabricating crates for shipping, and installing in private residences to name a few.

Working in the private sector can be incredibly fast paced, exciting and stressful. Often your own ingenuity and that of your colleagues is all you can rely on, as equipment and materials are often limited or lacking. As stimulating as that can be, it often left me feeling dissatisfied with the motivations of the individuals and companies I worked for.

The opportunity to work for a publicly funded institution like The National Gallery was something I couldn’t pass up.

Adapting to the processes and methods of the art handling department at The National Gallery required some un-learning and adjustment on my part. The department is well established and as a result has its own well-established idiosyncrasies. The department's equipment has been designed in-house and is unique to the Gallery. Equally so, the hardware art handling uses, has also been designed in-house by the various stalwarts of the department. Each new piece of equipment is designed or adapted out of necessity to solve a problem and is in a constant state of evolution and review to ensure it better fits its required use.

My colleagues and I are invited to engage in this conversation constantly which is flattering and refreshing. Before now I hadn’t worked in such a collegiate and collaborative environment.

Working at The National Gallery is almost the antithesis of my experience as a technician. The National Gallery is custodian to some 2,300 works and has been building its collection for nearly 200 years. Being a part of that, however small is incredibly humbling and I’m incredibly happy that I’ve found myself here.

Sam Hallett, Art Handler

== Profiles of Staff: Present and Past ==

 

[[File:AHTeamPortrait.jpg|500px|left]]

 

Team (current and former); left to right:
Simon Wallis, Dan Haddock, Sam Hallet, Alex Hinks,
 Mark Slattery, Patrick O'Sullivan, (seated back) Jamie Bell, Kasper Pincis, Tom Hemming
 (seated front) Alan Brooks, James Lindley, Danny Metcalf and Dave Morgan

'''Ray Butcher''' | Art Handler 1988 - 2012

The pathway into professional art handling in museums is often highly varied. Among the traits that are indispensable are an ability to use tools safely and effectively, and an understanding of the materials that are commonly used in the production of paintings, frames and mounts. With these essential abilities at Ray’s disposal, he was recruited onto the art handling team twelve months after joining the Gallery in 1987. He had just moved to London with his family from North Wales where he had been living and working. The drive to London was all the more dramatic due to the effects of the severe storm that hit the country the night before.

He was first hired as a room warder, guarding the paintings during opening times. He soon came to attention of Peter Brett, then head art handler. Back then the technicians were known as the Working Party. Ray says, ‘Given my background working with tools and my hands all my working life, he gave me a trial picture handling’. Members of the Working Party were recruited from the corps of warders and were required to continue working as such when not engaged in art handling duties, particularly on Sundays. He continues, ‘It went well for me and I took to it like a duck to water. In short, I loved it’.

Ray had served a trade apprenticeship in auto repair and made a good living repairing car bodies. It is a complex area requiring multiple skills and abilities from welding to paint spraying. Whilst welding generally isn’t a requirement for handling the collection, an ability to solve technical and mechanical problems certainly is. Ray came up with a number of innovations which served the needs of the department and was always keen to build and adapt equipment as necessary.

Along with technical prowess, personal skills are another necessary trait. Art handlers are frequently deployed to sites elsewhere where they perform a variety of duties normally associated with care of our collection. Representing the gallery in a professional capacity is another responsibility we demand of our team. Ray’s character lent itself very well to this diverse role.

He says, ‘In those days the new occupants of number 10 and 11 Downing St, were able to borrow paintings from the Gallery’s secondary collection. These were normally chosen by the spouse of the Prime Minister or Chancellor. That in turn afforded me the opportunity of visiting number 10 twice and number 11 once to courier paintings back after a change of personnel’.

Ray’s time at the gallery dates from before the Sainsbury Wing opened. He was one of the founding members of the modern art handling department, when the gallery changed from recruiting from the security team and established art handling as a specialism. During his time on the team he became a supervisor, personally mentoring and training newly appointed staff.

Ray retired from the gallery in 2012 and moved away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city Earls Court to a quieter life by the Kent coast.

Mark Slattery, Senior Technician

File:AH Organisational Chart Feb 23.jpg

2023-02-15T17:58:09Z

Lmarlborough:

Health and Safety

2023-02-15T17:30:25Z

Lmarlborough:

Health and Safety Policy

The daily activities of the art handling team require us to operate machinery and mechanical lifting devices, as well as an array of wheeled equipment of varying sizes and Mobile Elevating Work Platforms, (MEWP), required for access at high level. Training and certification to nationally set standards is required to operate the latter.

These processes place us at an increased risk of accidental injury, compared to many of our other colleagues working at the gallery. We train our technicians to be their own best safety monitors and advocates for safety in the workplace. The handling operations we undertake are covered by written method statements which have evolved along with equipment as it’s been adopted for use by the department.

We’re not just concerned with our personal safety but also the safety of the collection. As stewards of the gallery’s paintings and objects we require our technicians to operate at the highest standard whilst working with the collection and loans to the gallery.

There is the potential for serious reputational harm should art objects be damaged in any way whilst in our care. This is especially the case for loans, whether they be to the collection or for special exhibitions hosted by the gallery.

Along with all the teams working across the gallery, the art handling department has a representative on the health and safety committee. This committee meets quarterly to discuss matters broadly concerned with health and safety, which affect operations at the gallery. Each representative may raise agenda items or at the meeting through the chair for discussion.

[[File:HSP7424021.jpeg|500px|left]]

 

Installation of NG1 Sebastiano del Piombo's The Raising of Lazarus in Gallery 32

Health and Safety

2023-02-15T17:29:47Z

Lmarlborough:

Health and Safety

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Lmarlborough:

Health and Safety

2023-02-15T17:29:11Z

Lmarlborough:

Health and Safety

2023-02-15T17:28:29Z

Lmarlborough:

File:HSP7424021.jpeg

2023-02-15T17:28:08Z

Lmarlborough:

Health and Safety

2023-02-15T17:27:47Z

Lmarlborough:

Health and Safety

2023-02-15T17:23:02Z

Lmarlborough:

The Collection

2022-06-29T10:45:05Z

Lmarlborough: /* Complicated Installations */

This section describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated/bespoke examples (NG6337 etc) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s collection of art consists mainly of western European paintings from the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection does include some sculptural objects, but the painting collection is its primary focus. Within this area of paintings are a wide variety of works with differing physical characteristics. These vary from early renaissance frescoes and panels (on a range of wooden supports) to many works on canvas and works on paper.

These works vary enormously in terms of mass and durability. For example, the collection includes very large and complex altarpieces, constructed from large wooden sections that can weigh up to 500kgs, to works on paper such as the Leonardo cartoon which are extremely ephemeral and require specific handling and display solutions. Paradoxically, large works of significant mass are themselves extremely vulnerable to movement by virtue of their structure working against the material they are made of when they are manipulated.

The role of the art handling department is to create safe systems of operations that we can use when moving the collection for any purpose. Any system that we develop needs to be understood by the art handling team as well as being reliable and repeatable. It also needs to follow the best conservation practice as described to us by our conservation team at the gallery.

The need for repeatable systems is due to the volume of moves that are undertaken each year with the collection. On average, around 15,000 moves of art works occur within the site of The National Gallery each year, all undertaken by the art handling team. This covers all aspects of our work, including basic moves throughout the gallery site, thousands of separate installations and preparation of works from the collection when loaned to other museums throughout the world.

Our aim is to create working systems that can safely cope with this volume of work whilst also being measurable. This is very important for the standard of our work as though we do create individual solutions to specific problems, we also need to know that our team is operating within a well understood framework from which we can confidently make decisions about the work in our care.

To facilitate our approach to the collection, we have developed a technical classification system that describes the art handling requirements for each individual object within the collection. This system breaks the collection down into three categories and names each category after a colour, either yellow, blue or silver.

Each of the categories assumes some simple characteristics for each object. Essentially weight and size are the main determining factors, the record of which category a work is placed in can be found on the individual record for each artwork held in the main collection database (TMS) under the art handling section. Within this record further, more detailed information can be included (please refer to the database description for further information).

The use of a largely generic classification system then allows us to design specific handling solutions to each category. In turn, the problems of handling and installing a specific object can be seen within this framework. The nature of the collection at the gallery has meant that such an approach is possible since the movement of large numbers of works that have similar physical characteristics is essentially the same. It also means that specific, individual solutions can be found to unique problems that can be seen within the context of the main framework.

A crucial element to the system is to develop the correct equipment alongside the correct process and approach. The art handling department has a long-standing equipment development program (now more than 20 years old) that designs and has manufactured specific equipment relevant to each of the categories.

It is worth noting that we apply the same or similar approach to our exhibitions where possible, however the requirements of lenders and the type of objects that may be included in our shows means that a more variable response is often necessary (please refer to exhibitions). This though can still be referred to the general principals established by our system. In the following pages we describe the processes and equipment for each of the categories.

[[File:Room32.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Colour Category System ==

Due to the nature of the picture collection at The National Gallery, it is possible to categorise paintings according to the actions necessary for de/installation. This has led us to group works into three categories for this purpose, which are as follows.

Although there are exceptions to these categories, nearly every object in the collection can be group in one of these sections. Our approach to designing installation and transportation solutions is informed by this system.

'''Standard Manual Lift or Yellow Move'''

The yellow move category encompasses the simplest moves we are required to undertake. The category includes all works that can be manually handled over small distances by two art handlers, or can be installed without the need for additional equipment to elevate the painting into position.

The category does not necessarily state the characteristics of the works it includes but generally it refers to paintings weighing under 60kgs. The size of the work is also not such a significant factor as quite large paintings can be included if it is determined they fall within the ease of handling required.

The yellow category contains around 60% of the works within the gallery's collection and will form the majority of moves throughout the year. Using the correct equipment associated with the category (as listed below) multiple moves of paintings can occur simultaneously and this is frequently found to be the case when large gallery hangs occur. Commonly the works within the category are installed using a plate system or The National Gallery gadget system (please refer to installation methods) and additional security measures are also applied at installation.

'''Medium Lift or Silver Move'''

The silver move category covers most of the mid-range installations and moves that we undertake. This category probably accounts for around 20 to 25% of all moves that occur and requires the use of a minimum of three art handlers plus the designated equipment (as described here).

For these moves, we set a limit of 150kgs in weight for the object being moved. Most of the works that fall into this category also tend to be large in area with a major dimension usually exceeding 2 metres.

A lower weight limit is not set as the category considers the physical dimensions of the paintings involved as well as their weight. Often, we find canvas paintings can be light enough to fall within the yellow category but of such dimensions as to create significant problems when manually handling them.

Works within this category are usually transported singularly on stacker trolleys (see equipment). There are a variety of hanging methods employed when installing these works though the most common are supporting brackets and plates or a suspension system (within the National gallery chains are employed). Usually, given the size of the works, standard security is employed when on display.

'''Heavy Lift or Blue Move'''

The Blue move category encompasses the largest and most logistically challenging objects within the National Gallery’s collection.

The most common example of works found in this category are the group of large altarpieces dating from the early renaissance section of the main Collection. These works are usually the heaviest pieces, being up to 500kgs in weight but are also very large objects in surface area with a complex construction.

Conservation issues within the altarpieces can also be significant and therefore this category includes a number of bespoke handling solutions to individual objects (see the additional projects described in this section including for NG1).

The category also includes all the largest canvas works found in other sections of the collection. These works are not necessarily significant in weight, but it has been determined that their scale precludes their inclusion in the silver category and therefore they fall within blue moves.

Large moves described by this category are not an everyday occurrence, however, moves of all category of works have increased significantly over the last few years and the biggest volume increase has probably been within this section. In total, works within this category account for around 10% of the main floor display but when moved can account for a significantly greater percentage of the Departments resources and time. For example, NG1 (described elsewhere in this section) takes around 3 days to reposition and the majority of the AH team to carry out this task.

'''Yellow Equipment'''

As the works associated with this category can be manually handled within the short distances of a gallery or packing room, the equipment required consists of two forms of transportation necessary to move these paintings across larger distances within the two main buildings that make up the National Gallery.

The first and most common piece of equipment used for this purpose is the NG standard Picture Trolley. The standard picture trolley is a medium sized transportation trolley that is used for a large variety of moves and also for temporary storage in the Gallery’s stores. The original design was created by the department more than 20 years ago and consists of 4 units. The design, though generic in nature, was conceived to allow the best ease of movement throughout the Gallery site whilst also maximising the carrying capacity of the trolley. Its durability is such that it can also be used to carry works outside of the yellow category.

Part of the working philosophy of the team is that our art handlers carry only a very minimal amount of equipment on their person (basically a tape measure and standard screwdriver). The yellow trolleys have therefore been designed with a storage capacity for other tools and hanging equipment. This consists of two draws which are located at either end of the trolley.

The yellow trolleys are a standard, daily use piece of equipment which have served us well for many years. However, in keeping with our habit of revising our equipment and improving where necessary, a new design has been developed by one of our team supervisors with the first production model recently delivered. Here is his description of the new design and how it differs from the original model.

[[File:OldYellowTrolley.JPG|500px|left]]
 

'''Yellow Trollies'''

The yellow trollies are key to how our teams operate in the gallery and the opportunity to re-think the design was not only a chance to make some physical modifications but also an opportunity to reconsider how we use them and make positive changes to our working practice. The trollies are used for the majority of picture movements, rehangs and exhibitions so the primary aims of my design were to increase the capacity for carrying multiple works, improve access throughout the gallery and to provide teams with the correct tools and fixings for each job.

The original design was very successful and the physical changes I made were relatively minor. I added a horizontal extension allowing us to transport larger paintings, slimmed the overall width of the trolley by 50mm to make it easier to pass through doorways, gave it radial corners to remove the sharp edges and increased the clearance around the wheels allowing us to fit brakes. The trolley itself is made from aluminium rather than the original steel design with a 3mm steel deck replacing the 18mm ply and weighting the bottom to ensure stability and provide the necessary weight for the vibration dampening function of the wheels. For the overall structure I reduced the distance between the two outer uprights which both increases the ability to stack paintings side by side but also increases the central space on the deck for items that need to travel flat.

Working across a large site such as the National Gallery one key issue is ensuring that teams have the right tools and hardware ready to hand for each job. We try to minimise the equipment carried by individual technicians and so the majority of our fixings, screws and tooling are kept in the two drawers of each yellow trolley. Maintaining stock and making sure everything goes back in the right place can be difficult during busy periods and a regular frustration for our teams is tracking back and forth across the gallery in search of missing items. For the new trolley I have designed a removable insert for the fixings drawer. The intention is to provide two inserts for each trolley with fixings specific to the two different hanging systems we work with; either hanging from chains or screwing fixings directly into the wall. Through the act of collecting the right drawer insert for each job I am hoping that the process of acknowledging the contents and stock before setting off will become automatic, thereby reducing the frustration of finding items missing. The inserts also double as a tool box that can be removed for easy access during installs and to be restocked at the end of each day.

Alongside the project of designing the trolley we also repurposed a small existing storage area to function as a tooling station and essentially a garage for the trolleys to be stored in. This area has become key to the function of the new trolley design and intended usage, it puts all of the stock, tooling and resources in one place and the layout is arranged specifically around ease of access with a work bench for storing and stocking the drawer inserts. Providing a space for the trolleys to be returned to at the end of each day and collected from every morning may seem incredibly simple but working across such a large site with multiple picture stores and two tooling areas represents a subtle but fundamental change to how we think about the trolleys and how we use them on a daily basis

[https://wiki.ng-london.org.uk/ah/Profiles_of_Staff:_past_and_present Tom Hemming]
[[Tom Hemming|Tom Hemming]]

Team Supervisor

[[File:NewYellowTrolley.jpg|280px|left]]
 

'''Picture Bin'''

The second type of transportation equipment used for yellow moves is the picture bin. The concept for this consists of any kind of box on wheels able to carry small works by placing dividers between each work to allow “bridging”. The department has designed a standard National Gallery picture bin and has two units available to it. However, it is possible to quickly and easily produced this equipment, constructed from MDF or wood and ply and have at least another 10 units made in this way that were produced during temporary periods of very high picture movements (for example emptying stores). The bins are also very useful as temporary storage units where small works can be safely held and accounted for within a proper storage facility.

Unlike the yellow trolleys, there is obviously a physical limit to the size of the works that can be held within a bin. Normally this tends to be paintings with a major frame dimension of no more than 75cms, the works will also be required to weigh less than 25kgs each.

[[File:PictureBin.jpg|280px|left]]

 

'''Silver Equipment'''

The two primary pieces of equipment used in this category of move is a standard, 2000kg manually operated hydraulic stacker (maximum platform height of 4.5ms) and the National Gallery stacker trolley, designed by the department for this purpose. The aim of the stacker trolley is to transport the painting to the installation site and then be attached to the manual stacker so providing the lifting power to install or de-install the work. This operation removes most of the manual handling of the work itself, so providing a good health and safety option for the department as well as improving basic preventative conservation needs when transporting larger paintings within the gallery.

This type of equipment, from the original prototype, has been extensively remodelled and improved over a number of years through the creation of 7 different models or Marques. This includes designs which relate to specific roles necessary in the gallery or specific objects in the collection. For example, the Leonardo Cartoon is displayed using a specially reinforced, glazed steel box. This weighs about 190kgs so nominally would take it outside the silver category. However as this is the most efficient method we have of installing the work then a specific stacker trolley was created for this role.

When using this method of transportation and installation, it is often necessary for team members to work at height. Therefore,

the third piece of equipment associated with the category is a MEWP, working at height runabout. The type we use is the Genie GR 12. This piece of equipment needs to be versatile and sensitive enough to work around the stacker trolley set-up and we have found it has almost completely eliminated the use of step ladders within the procedure, an original goal of the process design.

The original concept for the equipment came from one of our senior technicians and the following statement by him describes how a prototype design was first agreed:

'''Silver Trolley'''

We have been using our stacker trolleys for 16 years now and they have proved a unique and practical way of undertaking the installation of large paintings within The National Gallery's collection. They have also become indispensable to the installation of smaller paintings at height in galleries where the pictures are double hung.

The story about how they came into being, highlights how the art handling department has been able to gain inspiration to create new methods of working, through visits to other Institutions around the world. For example, while helping on the de-installation of the Dennis Mahon exhibition up in Edinburgh in 1997 I noticed that the technicians there were using table tennis tables which could be folded up and moved around on wheels for packing and unpacking works of art. Our portable packing tables at the time were by comparison heavy, cumbersome and time consuming to move. As a result, we sourced our own table tennis tables and have been using them ever since as have a growing number of other galleries around the world.

This brings us back to the stacker trolley. On a courier trip to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich in November 1999 with a large full length portrait by Van Dyck, I witnessed the conservators (who also doubled as the art handling team there) place the painting face in on a large wooden A frame trolley, which was taken up to the galleries after the conservation check had been completed. Once the position for the installation had been established two of the team went up ladders on either side and a third member proceeded to pick up the whole A frame with a genie superlift stacker. The trolley was steadied by the two staff members up the ladders as it rose to the height at which the picture was to be hung. Once at height the two technicians hooked up the picture to the wire hanging system which was used throughout the gallery, unstrapped the painting and slowly lowered the A Frame while the technicians supported the picture allowing it back to the wall gently as the A frame descended. I was struck by how little additional handling was needed and how easily the installation had proceeded.

Consequently, on returning to The National Gallery I suggested we might try and develop a trolley which would be designed solely for this purpose. We had just had our own in house designed regular picture trolleys fabricated for us by a firm up in Tamworth near Birmingham and were confident they would be able to make these new trolleys for us.

It took roughly two and a half years before we were in a place where finances and time came together to allow us to start designing the first National Gallery stacker trolleys. The initial idea had come from my courier trip to Munich, but it was Patrick O’Sullivan who was to undertake drawing up the design along with solving the nuts and bolts issues creating a new trolley like this required. We discussed the features a bespoke trolley of this sort should have, and Patrick incorporated these into his design.

Like our new picture trolleys, the stacker trolleys were to be adjustable giving them as much flexibility over the sizes of pictures they could accommodate as possible. They were designed with a top bar which could extend both vertically (like our regular picture trolleys) but in addition horizontally on both sides. Patrick also designed two raised, padded feet which were attached and could slide along an aluminium bar which ran the length of the base of the trolley and gave adjustment to accommodate the decorative mouldings and carvings on the large variety of picture frames they would be employed to support.

He also designed the wheelbase to slide back when the trolley was lifted off the ground, either to install or de-install a painting. This meant that the padded feet could be brought right up to the wall making it possible to lift the picture straight off or onto the wall brackets from the trolley in most situations. They could then be slid back into position before being lowered to the ground giving the trolleys maximum stability for moving around the gallery when loaded, with large pictures.

Also, unlike the A frame in Munich which was just lifted from underneath by the stacker. These trolleys had a compartment designed into the framework underneath which snugly housed the tines of the stacker. There was also a bar which allowed the stacker and the trolley to be coupled together giving us the insurance the trolley could not slip of the tines with a painting in situ.

In 2004 the first prototype stacker trolley arrived at the gallery and proved itself invaluable in the day to day work of the art handling department. We discovered that not only was the trolley making the installation of large paintings easier for art handlers, but it also gave the curators a secure way of viewing a painting against the wall before settling on the height at which they intended to hang it.

The process before this involved padding out the tines of a stacker. Lifting the picture off a trolley manually and balancing it on those tines while it was precariously lifted into position. If especially large, one or two technicians were needed up on ladders to keep the balance at the top of the painting.

Now, a picture could be brought into position and lifted to the desired height without the added complication of ladders and technicians obscuring the view of the painting on the wall. It also often resulted in less handling for the pictures as they can be stored temporarily on the trolley until they were needed again.

Six months after the arrival of the first prototype we added another two improved versions of the first prototype to our growing collection of in house designed equipment. We eventually donated the original prototype to The National Museum Cardiff and have replaced the two trolleys which arrived after it with new improved versions, all of which were designed by Patrick.

We now have eight stacker trolleys, including two smaller units for installing smaller paintings at height. (One of which has been designed to double up specifically for the installation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Cartoon NG6337. ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist.”)

Wheel units no longer slide but swivel and several of the units have top bars which only lift vertically. Between them they cover most of the paintings within the collection that are better suited to being stackered into position rather than lifted manually. They are also regularly used as temporary storage units helping us to keep down the manual handling of large paintings to a bare minimum.

All in all, our stacker trolleys have proved an indispensable tool in the safe handling of large paintings. They continue to aid us in the installation, movement and storage of our larger paintings with an ease and simplicity we could hardly have imagined when the department started back in 1992.

[[DannyM|Danny Metcalf]] Senior Art Handler

'''Blue Equipment'''

As this includes the most technically challenging works in the collection, the process and equipment used to move these objects also tends to be the most complicated. The main piece of equipment used in a blue move is the blue hoist. This item is essentially a large lifting and transportation device that also includes a significant working at height capability and several features to ease the operation and protect the object in transport.

Essentially though the concept for the blue hoist is very similar to the silver categories stacker trolley. In keeping with our general approach to large equipment within the Gallery site, the design of the blue hoist is modular. As with the stacker trolley, the lifting “engine” of the hoist is provided by a standard, 2000kgs stacker which marries with the hoist in a similar way to the Stacker trolley. The use of this approach has meant that the design could originally be more easily developed by the department as more complex elements, such as a hydraulic capability, could be ignored. The design also includes two working at height access towers that join with the main hoist body to provide access for the team. Tower outriggers (as found in standard mobile scaffold platforms) are not necessary as the main body of the hoist provides the stability. These towers can be swapped out for the GR12 MEWPS accordingly, at least one MEWP always being needed to perform other functions with the hoist.

The design also includes a movable tyne system that is arranged in all three axis allowing the position of the hoist to be replicated for each move whilst the tynes go and “grab” the object. In addition, two “picture clamps” are situated at the top of the hoist. These can be adjusted to take into account the width of a picture (up to a maximum of 5.5 metres) and are used to hold the painting vertically when the works are moved (something vital for the moving of altarpieces).

The hoist has eliminated the need for manual lifting of the largest objects in the collection, however the operation still involves a significant use of the teams’ resource with at least 6 technicians required for a blue move.

In addition to the hoist, blue move equipment also includes other items such as the picture carrying “towers”. These are large, triangular shaped carrying scaffolds that are used to move objects through specific routes of the Gallery or to free the use of the blue hoist, allowing multiple blue moves in one session (something that has become more frequent).

== Equipment ==

The art handling department deploys several general and bespoke pieces of equipment to carry out our role. Our approach has been to develop the processes and concepts for our tasks and then to match the equipment to our needs. This has led to a significant design program within the department over many years that has resulted in original design solutions and models of equipment that have then been improved upon. These include the following:

'''The Standard Picture Trolley'''

Associated with the yellow category move, our standard trolley was first developed in 1998 as a general-use piece of equipment assigned to art handling teams. The trolley is durable enough to transport all categories of pictures within the collection but is primarily used to transport multiple works simultaneously. The trolley also has the capacity to safely carry tools and materials for the team whilst transporting pictures. The original design has recently been upgraded to a new model by Tom Hemming, one of our team supervisors.

'''The Stacker Trolley'''

Associated with the Aluminium move, this picture trolley is used to transport and install larger category works. It is designed for one painting at a time and links with a hydraulic stacker to ease installation for the team. This design has undergone several modifications and variants.

'''The Case Roller'''

This piece of equipment was developed by the team to facilitate the unpacking of paintings from their cases. Most picture cases (used for external transport) must be laid flat to be unpacked and this usually requires a significant physical effort. The case roller acts as a quarter round lever and preparation table that makes this operation significantly easier.

'''The Blue Hoist'''

The blue hoist is a large, multi-functional picture transporter and installer that we developed to deal with the largest works in the collection. It is designed to register with our altarpiece display system and has features such as adjustable picture clamps made to hold a work in perfect vertical orientation for transport.

We also use a large range of common equipment normally found within art handling teams. These include J bars for cases, mobile packing tables, skoots and skates, weigh pallets and for working at height we use Mobile Elevated Work Platforms or MEWPS.

The standard model MEWP we use is the Genie GR12. This model has the right weight to height ratio necessary for our gallery environment. We have two of these and they have completely replaced the use of ladders and made redundant the use of scaffold. Step ladders are still occasionally used under normal, health and safety protocols.

== Complicated Installations ==

As mentioned in our category system, the art handling department adopts a three-part system of classification for each artwork in the collection. The blue category includes the largest and heaviest works that also provide the biggest technical challenge to us. Most of these works are large altarpieces or canvases that exceed the limits imposed on the other categories, and special equipment (namely in the form of the blue hoist) has been developed to deal with these moves.

However, there are several moves that can be considered exceptionally significant even within the terms of the blue category and these we call complicated installations. This category of move usually requires further processes or equipment designs to be developed, including some intervention to support the object itself. Usually this is due to the fragility of the object involved with respect to its size but can also be due to display requirements, such as a particular framing approach. A good example of this category is the requirements for the large painting by Sebastiano del Piombo The Raising of Lazarus (NG1).

NG1 is a painting with significant conservation issues around its structure that have caused considerable problems when it was necessary to move the work. The picture was originally a large altarpiece painted on a thick wooden support (exact nature unknown) which was then “transferred” during the 18th century whilst in the possession of the French royal court. The transferring process simply involves removing the original wooden support and replacing it with a canvas one. However, over time this caused significant conservation issues and when it became the responsibility of The National Gallery art handling department to move it (late 20th century) the process necessary to do so was too precarious to carry out without risking damage to the painting. A new process was necessary and would involve designing a support system for the painting which could then work with the newly designed blue hoist.

[[File:NG1moveRoom9_32.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_50.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_56.jpg|300px]]

 

'''New structural support for NG1'''

We had already adopted a possible solution in other altarpieces. This involved designing an aluminium “cage” that would fit around the painting as a permanent feature. This would then replace the picture frame as the standard support for the work, meaning the painting could be safely de-framed (necessary for NG1 in particular). In addition, a system of four “screens” was designed that could attach to the new cage. These would wrap around the front of the work where strategically placed soft pads would gently hold the surface of the work in place whilst it was moved (the main issue being the movement of the surface on the canvas). This support system could be applied whilst the work was hanging and would provide protection against the normal art handling techniques such as “bowling” (the re-orientation of a work from one axis to another). This also meant that the main display frame became a “veneer” for appearance only, as the structural load of the work was taken by the new support frame. With this arrangement, the work could now be de-installed and moved using the blue hoist system as described in the blue category.

'''Installing the new display frame'''

At the time of the development of the support system for NG1, we also discussed the possibility of a new display frame that would fit around it and reproduce the main altarpiece form its original location in a church in Italy. However, it would be several more years before this project began, eventually being realised due to the picture’s involvement in the gallery exhibition of Sebastiano and Michelangelo in 2017.

This project added another level of complexity to this move as it involved the installation of an extremely large frame in four parts, placed around the painting once the work itself had already been installed. To make this possible we developed an installation system that “registered” with the cage of the painting when installed.

The new systems have proved to be very successful and have allowed the painting to be moved as required (something we had stopped doing prior to the development of the process). However, it remains possibly the most complicated of moves necessary at The National Gallery, made more so by its very impressive display frame.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

[[File:NG1unframedB.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframedC.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframed.jpg|300px]]

 

== Loan Preparation ==

As a department we are central to the loan programme and we work closely with several key departments including collection registrars, curatorial, conservation, framing and photography.

The loan process begins with the collection registrars who receive loan requests from museums and galleries across the world.

This in turn triggers a whole process. Art handling becomes heavily involved once a case order is received from one of the collection registrars. For over 25 years, we worked with Kent Services Limited (KSL) as a supplier of cases to the gallery, which we used to loan works from the collection. Sadly, in late 2020 they ceased trading. We now have a stock of cases they we purchased from KSL and we fit them out with Polyurethane open cell foam (grade S275) and Plastazote LD45 for each painting in the collection that goes on loan.

The case order form contains key information such as the medium, framed dimensions and conservation requirements. We use this information and some other vital details to allocate a suitable case from our stock. We may have to transport the case from offsite storage, then fit out that case, ready for loan. The last stage of this part of the process is to create an invoice for the borrower as they pay for the rental of the case for the duration of the loan.

Later in the loan process we schedule the removal of works from display that are going on loan. This will mean a minor or major rehang of that gallery and we liaise with the relevant curator in order to complete this work. They supply us with a plan, usually a visual document, and we check this and translate the details into TMS. This enable the art handlers to have a worksheet to work from and refer to. We also provide labels for each work, they are written by the curator in question but checked and printed by us, ready for the hang.

This hang is organised in advance and considers any conservation or framing work that needs to take place before going on loan. If a work is not on display it is moved from storage to conservation for pre-loan checks and for the work to be carried out.

We organise the packing of works and coordinate the presence of a Conservator in order to check the painting right before it is packed into the case. Finally, when the case is collected at handling is present for the moving and loading.

When a painting comes back from loan this process happens in reverse and we organise each stage of this process, liaising with, and physically moving the painting and rehanging it in the gallery.

Over the course of a normal year we loan approximately 100 paintings from the collection. Therefore, this process happens multiple times and on any one day there are several loans at various stages in this process.

Louise Marlborough, Administrator

The Collection

2022-06-29T10:43:52Z

Lmarlborough: /* Complicated Installations */

This section describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated/bespoke examples (NG6337 etc) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s collection of art consists mainly of western European paintings from the 13th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The collection does include some sculptural objects, but the painting collection is its primary focus. Within this area of paintings are a wide variety of works with differing physical characteristics. These vary from early renaissance frescoes and panels (on a range of wooden supports) to many works on canvas and works on paper.

These works vary enormously in terms of mass and durability. For example, the collection includes very large and complex altarpieces, constructed from large wooden sections that can weigh up to 500kgs, to works on paper such as the Leonardo cartoon which are extremely ephemeral and require specific handling and display solutions. Paradoxically, large works of significant mass are themselves extremely vulnerable to movement by virtue of their structure working against the material they are made of when they are manipulated.

The role of the art handling department is to create safe systems of operations that we can use when moving the collection for any purpose. Any system that we develop needs to be understood by the art handling team as well as being reliable and repeatable. It also needs to follow the best conservation practice as described to us by our conservation team at the gallery.

The need for repeatable systems is due to the volume of moves that are undertaken each year with the collection. On average, around 15,000 moves of art works occur within the site of The National Gallery each year, all undertaken by the art handling team. This covers all aspects of our work, including basic moves throughout the gallery site, thousands of separate installations and preparation of works from the collection when loaned to other museums throughout the world.

Our aim is to create working systems that can safely cope with this volume of work whilst also being measurable. This is very important for the standard of our work as though we do create individual solutions to specific problems, we also need to know that our team is operating within a well understood framework from which we can confidently make decisions about the work in our care.

To facilitate our approach to the collection, we have developed a technical classification system that describes the art handling requirements for each individual object within the collection. This system breaks the collection down into three categories and names each category after a colour, either yellow, blue or silver.

Each of the categories assumes some simple characteristics for each object. Essentially weight and size are the main determining factors, the record of which category a work is placed in can be found on the individual record for each artwork held in the main collection database (TMS) under the art handling section. Within this record further, more detailed information can be included (please refer to the database description for further information).

The use of a largely generic classification system then allows us to design specific handling solutions to each category. In turn, the problems of handling and installing a specific object can be seen within this framework. The nature of the collection at the gallery has meant that such an approach is possible since the movement of large numbers of works that have similar physical characteristics is essentially the same. It also means that specific, individual solutions can be found to unique problems that can be seen within the context of the main framework.

A crucial element to the system is to develop the correct equipment alongside the correct process and approach. The art handling department has a long-standing equipment development program (now more than 20 years old) that designs and has manufactured specific equipment relevant to each of the categories.

It is worth noting that we apply the same or similar approach to our exhibitions where possible, however the requirements of lenders and the type of objects that may be included in our shows means that a more variable response is often necessary (please refer to exhibitions). This though can still be referred to the general principals established by our system. In the following pages we describe the processes and equipment for each of the categories.

[[File:Room32.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Colour Category System ==

Due to the nature of the picture collection at The National Gallery, it is possible to categorise paintings according to the actions necessary for de/installation. This has led us to group works into three categories for this purpose, which are as follows.

Although there are exceptions to these categories, nearly every object in the collection can be group in one of these sections. Our approach to designing installation and transportation solutions is informed by this system.

'''Standard Manual Lift or Yellow Move'''

The yellow move category encompasses the simplest moves we are required to undertake. The category includes all works that can be manually handled over small distances by two art handlers, or can be installed without the need for additional equipment to elevate the painting into position.

The category does not necessarily state the characteristics of the works it includes but generally it refers to paintings weighing under 60kgs. The size of the work is also not such a significant factor as quite large paintings can be included if it is determined they fall within the ease of handling required.

The yellow category contains around 60% of the works within the gallery's collection and will form the majority of moves throughout the year. Using the correct equipment associated with the category (as listed below) multiple moves of paintings can occur simultaneously and this is frequently found to be the case when large gallery hangs occur. Commonly the works within the category are installed using a plate system or The National Gallery gadget system (please refer to installation methods) and additional security measures are also applied at installation.

'''Medium Lift or Silver Move'''

The silver move category covers most of the mid-range installations and moves that we undertake. This category probably accounts for around 20 to 25% of all moves that occur and requires the use of a minimum of three art handlers plus the designated equipment (as described here).

For these moves, we set a limit of 150kgs in weight for the object being moved. Most of the works that fall into this category also tend to be large in area with a major dimension usually exceeding 2 metres.

A lower weight limit is not set as the category considers the physical dimensions of the paintings involved as well as their weight. Often, we find canvas paintings can be light enough to fall within the yellow category but of such dimensions as to create significant problems when manually handling them.

Works within this category are usually transported singularly on stacker trolleys (see equipment). There are a variety of hanging methods employed when installing these works though the most common are supporting brackets and plates or a suspension system (within the National gallery chains are employed). Usually, given the size of the works, standard security is employed when on display.

'''Heavy Lift or Blue Move'''

The Blue move category encompasses the largest and most logistically challenging objects within the National Gallery’s collection.

The most common example of works found in this category are the group of large altarpieces dating from the early renaissance section of the main Collection. These works are usually the heaviest pieces, being up to 500kgs in weight but are also very large objects in surface area with a complex construction.

Conservation issues within the altarpieces can also be significant and therefore this category includes a number of bespoke handling solutions to individual objects (see the additional projects described in this section including for NG1).

The category also includes all the largest canvas works found in other sections of the collection. These works are not necessarily significant in weight, but it has been determined that their scale precludes their inclusion in the silver category and therefore they fall within blue moves.

Large moves described by this category are not an everyday occurrence, however, moves of all category of works have increased significantly over the last few years and the biggest volume increase has probably been within this section. In total, works within this category account for around 10% of the main floor display but when moved can account for a significantly greater percentage of the Departments resources and time. For example, NG1 (described elsewhere in this section) takes around 3 days to reposition and the majority of the AH team to carry out this task.

'''Yellow Equipment'''

As the works associated with this category can be manually handled within the short distances of a gallery or packing room, the equipment required consists of two forms of transportation necessary to move these paintings across larger distances within the two main buildings that make up the National Gallery.

The first and most common piece of equipment used for this purpose is the NG standard Picture Trolley. The standard picture trolley is a medium sized transportation trolley that is used for a large variety of moves and also for temporary storage in the Gallery’s stores. The original design was created by the department more than 20 years ago and consists of 4 units. The design, though generic in nature, was conceived to allow the best ease of movement throughout the Gallery site whilst also maximising the carrying capacity of the trolley. Its durability is such that it can also be used to carry works outside of the yellow category.

Part of the working philosophy of the team is that our art handlers carry only a very minimal amount of equipment on their person (basically a tape measure and standard screwdriver). The yellow trolleys have therefore been designed with a storage capacity for other tools and hanging equipment. This consists of two draws which are located at either end of the trolley.

The yellow trolleys are a standard, daily use piece of equipment which have served us well for many years. However, in keeping with our habit of revising our equipment and improving where necessary, a new design has been developed by one of our team supervisors with the first production model recently delivered. Here is his description of the new design and how it differs from the original model.

[[File:OldYellowTrolley.JPG|500px|left]]
 

'''Yellow Trollies'''

The yellow trollies are key to how our teams operate in the gallery and the opportunity to re-think the design was not only a chance to make some physical modifications but also an opportunity to reconsider how we use them and make positive changes to our working practice. The trollies are used for the majority of picture movements, rehangs and exhibitions so the primary aims of my design were to increase the capacity for carrying multiple works, improve access throughout the gallery and to provide teams with the correct tools and fixings for each job.

The original design was very successful and the physical changes I made were relatively minor. I added a horizontal extension allowing us to transport larger paintings, slimmed the overall width of the trolley by 50mm to make it easier to pass through doorways, gave it radial corners to remove the sharp edges and increased the clearance around the wheels allowing us to fit brakes. The trolley itself is made from aluminium rather than the original steel design with a 3mm steel deck replacing the 18mm ply and weighting the bottom to ensure stability and provide the necessary weight for the vibration dampening function of the wheels. For the overall structure I reduced the distance between the two outer uprights which both increases the ability to stack paintings side by side but also increases the central space on the deck for items that need to travel flat.

Working across a large site such as the National Gallery one key issue is ensuring that teams have the right tools and hardware ready to hand for each job. We try to minimise the equipment carried by individual technicians and so the majority of our fixings, screws and tooling are kept in the two drawers of each yellow trolley. Maintaining stock and making sure everything goes back in the right place can be difficult during busy periods and a regular frustration for our teams is tracking back and forth across the gallery in search of missing items. For the new trolley I have designed a removable insert for the fixings drawer. The intention is to provide two inserts for each trolley with fixings specific to the two different hanging systems we work with; either hanging from chains or screwing fixings directly into the wall. Through the act of collecting the right drawer insert for each job I am hoping that the process of acknowledging the contents and stock before setting off will become automatic, thereby reducing the frustration of finding items missing. The inserts also double as a tool box that can be removed for easy access during installs and to be restocked at the end of each day.

Alongside the project of designing the trolley we also repurposed a small existing storage area to function as a tooling station and essentially a garage for the trolleys to be stored in. This area has become key to the function of the new trolley design and intended usage, it puts all of the stock, tooling and resources in one place and the layout is arranged specifically around ease of access with a work bench for storing and stocking the drawer inserts. Providing a space for the trolleys to be returned to at the end of each day and collected from every morning may seem incredibly simple but working across such a large site with multiple picture stores and two tooling areas represents a subtle but fundamental change to how we think about the trolleys and how we use them on a daily basis

[https://wiki.ng-london.org.uk/ah/Profiles_of_Staff:_past_and_present Tom Hemming]
[[Tom Hemming|Tom Hemming]]

Team Supervisor

[[File:NewYellowTrolley.jpg|280px|left]]
 

'''Picture Bin'''

The second type of transportation equipment used for yellow moves is the picture bin. The concept for this consists of any kind of box on wheels able to carry small works by placing dividers between each work to allow “bridging”. The department has designed a standard National Gallery picture bin and has two units available to it. However, it is possible to quickly and easily produced this equipment, constructed from MDF or wood and ply and have at least another 10 units made in this way that were produced during temporary periods of very high picture movements (for example emptying stores). The bins are also very useful as temporary storage units where small works can be safely held and accounted for within a proper storage facility.

Unlike the yellow trolleys, there is obviously a physical limit to the size of the works that can be held within a bin. Normally this tends to be paintings with a major frame dimension of no more than 75cms, the works will also be required to weigh less than 25kgs each.

[[File:PictureBin.jpg|280px|left]]

 

'''Silver Equipment'''

The two primary pieces of equipment used in this category of move is a standard, 2000kg manually operated hydraulic stacker (maximum platform height of 4.5ms) and the National Gallery stacker trolley, designed by the department for this purpose. The aim of the stacker trolley is to transport the painting to the installation site and then be attached to the manual stacker so providing the lifting power to install or de-install the work. This operation removes most of the manual handling of the work itself, so providing a good health and safety option for the department as well as improving basic preventative conservation needs when transporting larger paintings within the gallery.

This type of equipment, from the original prototype, has been extensively remodelled and improved over a number of years through the creation of 7 different models or Marques. This includes designs which relate to specific roles necessary in the gallery or specific objects in the collection. For example, the Leonardo Cartoon is displayed using a specially reinforced, glazed steel box. This weighs about 190kgs so nominally would take it outside the silver category. However as this is the most efficient method we have of installing the work then a specific stacker trolley was created for this role.

When using this method of transportation and installation, it is often necessary for team members to work at height. Therefore,

the third piece of equipment associated with the category is a MEWP, working at height runabout. The type we use is the Genie GR 12. This piece of equipment needs to be versatile and sensitive enough to work around the stacker trolley set-up and we have found it has almost completely eliminated the use of step ladders within the procedure, an original goal of the process design.

The original concept for the equipment came from one of our senior technicians and the following statement by him describes how a prototype design was first agreed:

'''Silver Trolley'''

We have been using our stacker trolleys for 16 years now and they have proved a unique and practical way of undertaking the installation of large paintings within The National Gallery's collection. They have also become indispensable to the installation of smaller paintings at height in galleries where the pictures are double hung.

The story about how they came into being, highlights how the art handling department has been able to gain inspiration to create new methods of working, through visits to other Institutions around the world. For example, while helping on the de-installation of the Dennis Mahon exhibition up in Edinburgh in 1997 I noticed that the technicians there were using table tennis tables which could be folded up and moved around on wheels for packing and unpacking works of art. Our portable packing tables at the time were by comparison heavy, cumbersome and time consuming to move. As a result, we sourced our own table tennis tables and have been using them ever since as have a growing number of other galleries around the world.

This brings us back to the stacker trolley. On a courier trip to the Alte Pinakothek in Munich in November 1999 with a large full length portrait by Van Dyck, I witnessed the conservators (who also doubled as the art handling team there) place the painting face in on a large wooden A frame trolley, which was taken up to the galleries after the conservation check had been completed. Once the position for the installation had been established two of the team went up ladders on either side and a third member proceeded to pick up the whole A frame with a genie superlift stacker. The trolley was steadied by the two staff members up the ladders as it rose to the height at which the picture was to be hung. Once at height the two technicians hooked up the picture to the wire hanging system which was used throughout the gallery, unstrapped the painting and slowly lowered the A Frame while the technicians supported the picture allowing it back to the wall gently as the A frame descended. I was struck by how little additional handling was needed and how easily the installation had proceeded.

Consequently, on returning to The National Gallery I suggested we might try and develop a trolley which would be designed solely for this purpose. We had just had our own in house designed regular picture trolleys fabricated for us by a firm up in Tamworth near Birmingham and were confident they would be able to make these new trolleys for us.

It took roughly two and a half years before we were in a place where finances and time came together to allow us to start designing the first National Gallery stacker trolleys. The initial idea had come from my courier trip to Munich, but it was Patrick O’Sullivan who was to undertake drawing up the design along with solving the nuts and bolts issues creating a new trolley like this required. We discussed the features a bespoke trolley of this sort should have, and Patrick incorporated these into his design.

Like our new picture trolleys, the stacker trolleys were to be adjustable giving them as much flexibility over the sizes of pictures they could accommodate as possible. They were designed with a top bar which could extend both vertically (like our regular picture trolleys) but in addition horizontally on both sides. Patrick also designed two raised, padded feet which were attached and could slide along an aluminium bar which ran the length of the base of the trolley and gave adjustment to accommodate the decorative mouldings and carvings on the large variety of picture frames they would be employed to support.

He also designed the wheelbase to slide back when the trolley was lifted off the ground, either to install or de-install a painting. This meant that the padded feet could be brought right up to the wall making it possible to lift the picture straight off or onto the wall brackets from the trolley in most situations. They could then be slid back into position before being lowered to the ground giving the trolleys maximum stability for moving around the gallery when loaded, with large pictures.

Also, unlike the A frame in Munich which was just lifted from underneath by the stacker. These trolleys had a compartment designed into the framework underneath which snugly housed the tines of the stacker. There was also a bar which allowed the stacker and the trolley to be coupled together giving us the insurance the trolley could not slip of the tines with a painting in situ.

In 2004 the first prototype stacker trolley arrived at the gallery and proved itself invaluable in the day to day work of the art handling department. We discovered that not only was the trolley making the installation of large paintings easier for art handlers, but it also gave the curators a secure way of viewing a painting against the wall before settling on the height at which they intended to hang it.

The process before this involved padding out the tines of a stacker. Lifting the picture off a trolley manually and balancing it on those tines while it was precariously lifted into position. If especially large, one or two technicians were needed up on ladders to keep the balance at the top of the painting.

Now, a picture could be brought into position and lifted to the desired height without the added complication of ladders and technicians obscuring the view of the painting on the wall. It also often resulted in less handling for the pictures as they can be stored temporarily on the trolley until they were needed again.

Six months after the arrival of the first prototype we added another two improved versions of the first prototype to our growing collection of in house designed equipment. We eventually donated the original prototype to The National Museum Cardiff and have replaced the two trolleys which arrived after it with new improved versions, all of which were designed by Patrick.

We now have eight stacker trolleys, including two smaller units for installing smaller paintings at height. (One of which has been designed to double up specifically for the installation of Leonardo da Vinci’s Cartoon NG6337. ‘The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and the Infant Saint John the Baptist.”)

Wheel units no longer slide but swivel and several of the units have top bars which only lift vertically. Between them they cover most of the paintings within the collection that are better suited to being stackered into position rather than lifted manually. They are also regularly used as temporary storage units helping us to keep down the manual handling of large paintings to a bare minimum.

All in all, our stacker trolleys have proved an indispensable tool in the safe handling of large paintings. They continue to aid us in the installation, movement and storage of our larger paintings with an ease and simplicity we could hardly have imagined when the department started back in 1992.

[[DannyM|Danny Metcalf]] Senior Art Handler

'''Blue Equipment'''

As this includes the most technically challenging works in the collection, the process and equipment used to move these objects also tends to be the most complicated. The main piece of equipment used in a blue move is the blue hoist. This item is essentially a large lifting and transportation device that also includes a significant working at height capability and several features to ease the operation and protect the object in transport.

Essentially though the concept for the blue hoist is very similar to the silver categories stacker trolley. In keeping with our general approach to large equipment within the Gallery site, the design of the blue hoist is modular. As with the stacker trolley, the lifting “engine” of the hoist is provided by a standard, 2000kgs stacker which marries with the hoist in a similar way to the Stacker trolley. The use of this approach has meant that the design could originally be more easily developed by the department as more complex elements, such as a hydraulic capability, could be ignored. The design also includes two working at height access towers that join with the main hoist body to provide access for the team. Tower outriggers (as found in standard mobile scaffold platforms) are not necessary as the main body of the hoist provides the stability. These towers can be swapped out for the GR12 MEWPS accordingly, at least one MEWP always being needed to perform other functions with the hoist.

The design also includes a movable tyne system that is arranged in all three axis allowing the position of the hoist to be replicated for each move whilst the tynes go and “grab” the object. In addition, two “picture clamps” are situated at the top of the hoist. These can be adjusted to take into account the width of a picture (up to a maximum of 5.5 metres) and are used to hold the painting vertically when the works are moved (something vital for the moving of altarpieces).

The hoist has eliminated the need for manual lifting of the largest objects in the collection, however the operation still involves a significant use of the teams’ resource with at least 6 technicians required for a blue move.

In addition to the hoist, blue move equipment also includes other items such as the picture carrying “towers”. These are large, triangular shaped carrying scaffolds that are used to move objects through specific routes of the Gallery or to free the use of the blue hoist, allowing multiple blue moves in one session (something that has become more frequent).

== Equipment ==

The art handling department deploys several general and bespoke pieces of equipment to carry out our role. Our approach has been to develop the processes and concepts for our tasks and then to match the equipment to our needs. This has led to a significant design program within the department over many years that has resulted in original design solutions and models of equipment that have then been improved upon. These include the following:

'''The Standard Picture Trolley'''

Associated with the yellow category move, our standard trolley was first developed in 1998 as a general-use piece of equipment assigned to art handling teams. The trolley is durable enough to transport all categories of pictures within the collection but is primarily used to transport multiple works simultaneously. The trolley also has the capacity to safely carry tools and materials for the team whilst transporting pictures. The original design has recently been upgraded to a new model by Tom Hemming, one of our team supervisors.

'''The Stacker Trolley'''

Associated with the Aluminium move, this picture trolley is used to transport and install larger category works. It is designed for one painting at a time and links with a hydraulic stacker to ease installation for the team. This design has undergone several modifications and variants.

'''The Case Roller'''

This piece of equipment was developed by the team to facilitate the unpacking of paintings from their cases. Most picture cases (used for external transport) must be laid flat to be unpacked and this usually requires a significant physical effort. The case roller acts as a quarter round lever and preparation table that makes this operation significantly easier.

'''The Blue Hoist'''

The blue hoist is a large, multi-functional picture transporter and installer that we developed to deal with the largest works in the collection. It is designed to register with our altarpiece display system and has features such as adjustable picture clamps made to hold a work in perfect vertical orientation for transport.

We also use a large range of common equipment normally found within art handling teams. These include J bars for cases, mobile packing tables, skoots and skates, weigh pallets and for working at height we use Mobile Elevated Work Platforms or MEWPS.

The standard model MEWP we use is the Genie GR12. This model has the right weight to height ratio necessary for our gallery environment. We have two of these and they have completely replaced the use of ladders and made redundant the use of scaffold. Step ladders are still occasionally used under normal, health and safety protocols.

== Complicated Installations ==

As mentioned in our category system, the art handling department adopts a three-part system of classification for each artwork in the collection. The blue category includes the largest and heaviest works that also provide the biggest technical challenge to us. Most of these works are large altarpieces or canvases that exceed the limits imposed on the other categories, and special equipment (namely in the form of the blue hoist) has been developed to deal with these moves.

However, there are several moves that can be considered exceptionally significant even within the terms of the blue category and these we call complicated installations. This category of move usually requires further processes or equipment designs to be developed, including some intervention to support the object itself. Usually this is due to the fragility of the object involved with respect to its size but can also be due to display requirements, such as a particular framing approach. A good example of this category is the requirements for the large painting by Sebastiano del Piombo The Raising of Lazarus (NG1).

NG1 is a painting with significant conservation issues around its structure that have caused considerable problems when it was necessary to move the work. The picture was originally a large altarpiece painted on a thick wooden support (exact nature unknown) which was then “transferred” during the 18th century whilst in the possession of the French royal court. The transferring process simply involves removing the original wooden support and replacing it with a canvas one. However, over time this caused significant conservation issues and when it became the responsibility of The National Gallery art handling department to move it (late 20th century) the process necessary to do so was too precarious to carry out without risking damage to the painting. A new process was necessary and would involve designing a support system for the painting which could then work with the newly designed blue hoist.

[[File:NG1FrameRoom18.jpg|500px|left]]

[[File:NG1moveRoom9_32.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_50.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1moveRoom9_56.jpg|300px]]

 

'''New structural support for NG1'''

We had already adopted a possible solution in other altarpieces. This involved designing an aluminium “cage” that would fit around the painting as a permanent feature. This would then replace the picture frame as the standard support for the work, meaning the painting could be safely de-framed (necessary for NG1 in particular). In addition, a system of four “screens” was designed that could attach to the new cage. These would wrap around the front of the work where strategically placed soft pads would gently hold the surface of the work in place whilst it was moved (the main issue being the movement of the surface on the canvas). This support system could be applied whilst the work was hanging and would provide protection against the normal art handling techniques such as “bowling” (the re-orientation of a work from one axis to another). This also meant that the main display frame became a “veneer” for appearance only, as the structural load of the work was taken by the new support frame. With this arrangement, the work could now be de-installed and moved using the blue hoist system as described in the blue category.

'''Installing the new display frame'''

At the time of the development of the support system for NG1, we also discussed the possibility of a new display frame that would fit around it and reproduce the main altarpiece form its original location in a church in Italy. However, it would be several more years before this project began, eventually being realised due to the picture’s involvement in the gallery exhibition of Sebastiano and Michelangelo in 2017.

This project added another level of complexity to this move as it involved the installation of an extremely large frame in four parts, placed around the painting once the work itself had already been installed. To make this possible we developed an installation system that “registered” with the cage of the painting when installed.

The new systems have proved to be very successful and have allowed the painting to be moved as required (something we had stopped doing prior to the development of the process). However, it remains possibly the most complicated of moves necessary at The National Gallery, made more so by its very impressive display frame.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

[[File:NG1unframedB.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframedC.jpg|300px]]
[[File:NG1unframed.jpg|300px]]

 

== Loan Preparation ==

As a department we are central to the loan programme and we work closely with several key departments including collection registrars, curatorial, conservation, framing and photography.

The loan process begins with the collection registrars who receive loan requests from museums and galleries across the world.

This in turn triggers a whole process. Art handling becomes heavily involved once a case order is received from one of the collection registrars. For over 25 years, we worked with Kent Services Limited (KSL) as a supplier of cases to the gallery, which we used to loan works from the collection. Sadly, in late 2020 they ceased trading. We now have a stock of cases they we purchased from KSL and we fit them out with Polyurethane open cell foam (grade S275) and Plastazote LD45 for each painting in the collection that goes on loan.

The case order form contains key information such as the medium, framed dimensions and conservation requirements. We use this information and some other vital details to allocate a suitable case from our stock. We may have to transport the case from offsite storage, then fit out that case, ready for loan. The last stage of this part of the process is to create an invoice for the borrower as they pay for the rental of the case for the duration of the loan.

Later in the loan process we schedule the removal of works from display that are going on loan. This will mean a minor or major rehang of that gallery and we liaise with the relevant curator in order to complete this work. They supply us with a plan, usually a visual document, and we check this and translate the details into TMS. This enable the art handlers to have a worksheet to work from and refer to. We also provide labels for each work, they are written by the curator in question but checked and printed by us, ready for the hang.

This hang is organised in advance and considers any conservation or framing work that needs to take place before going on loan. If a work is not on display it is moved from storage to conservation for pre-loan checks and for the work to be carried out.

We organise the packing of works and coordinate the presence of a Conservator in order to check the painting right before it is packed into the case. Finally, when the case is collected at handling is present for the moving and loading.

When a painting comes back from loan this process happens in reverse and we organise each stage of this process, liaising with, and physically moving the painting and rehanging it in the gallery.

Over the course of a normal year we loan approximately 100 paintings from the collection. Therefore, this process happens multiple times and on any one day there are several loans at various stages in this process.

Louise Marlborough, Administrator

File:NG1moveRoom9 56.jpg

2022-06-29T10:43:19Z

Lmarlborough:

File:NG1moveRoom9 50.jpg

2022-06-29T10:42:35Z

Lmarlborough:

File:NG1moveRoom9 32.jpg

2022-06-29T10:41:30Z

Lmarlborough:

Business Continuity and Salvage

2022-06-29T10:28:27Z

Lmarlborough:

The art handling department has a distinct function within the gallery business continuity plan. The role of the department is to lead on any salvage operation and recovery plan directly concerning the welfare of the main collection. As part of this role, the head of department chairs the salvage committee and reports to the keeper of paintings.

'''The Salvage Committee'''

The role of the committee is to plan and prepare for salvage operations within the gallery. Representatives from several departments sit on the committee which include registrars, photography and imaging, conservation, security, research centre and building departments. The committee is the forum for dealing with practical issues concerning salvage and recovery. (please see salvage committee remit)

'''The Collection'''

The art handling department is directly responsible for the practical issues around handling, protection and transportation of the collection during a salvage operation (specifically any art object within the gallery site). A salvage operation will involve close co-operation with several key departments, but during an incident we will work closely with conservation, registrars and security.

'''The Salvage Plan'''

Over time, we have developed an emergency response system to deal with incidents involving the main collection. This includes a 24 hour call-out system that every member of the art handling department belongs to. The system is voluntary but involves calling senior members of the department if an incident is declared, who then raise the team members required to attend to the incident. We also ask the assistance of security personnel to join the team when deemed necessary to deal with an incident. (see training)

'''Training'''

As part of our salvage plan, we have developed limited emergency handling courses for our Security team. This enables them to respond initially to an incident involving the collection if necessary as well as to assist an art handling team when required. We also continue to develop table-top exercises involving several different departments, plus digital training that can be used at the induction of new personnel.

'''Equipment'''

As for our main activities, we have developed a range of trolleys and picture “bins” that are specifically aimed at salvage work. These are located at various points within the Gallery to allow a quick response to be resourced. In addition, we have also developed emergency grab bags that provide a salvage team with the basic equipment to begin the job of protecting or removing art during a salvage operation. These are also stored with conservation and registrars grab bags at strategic locations within the Gallery.

'''The Salvage Committee Remit'''

The salvage committee sits within the structure defined by The National Gallery business continuity plan. The committee chair reports to the keeper of paintings. (head of conservation)

The salvage committee remit is concerned with the practical application and resourcing of any salvage operation related to the collection. The definition of the collection includes, but is not limited to, any art works on display or in storage within the main gallery site; the collection of picture frames held on site (on display or otherwise); the photographic and imaging department archives and the research centre archives.

The main action points of the Salvage Committee remit are as follows:

1. To put in place the means to form a team or teams, equipped and capable of a safe, co-ordinated response in the event of an incident involving the collection that requires action. This may involve any or all of the following depending upon the scale and impact of the event; protection, removal, storage, immediate remedial care of works with due security and documentation procedures in place.

2. To put in place the means to form a team or teams, equipped and capable of a safe, co-ordinated response in the event of an incident involving framing, research centre and photographic archives.

3. To be responsible for implementing relevant aspects of the gallery incident management planning training policy. This will include coordinated programs for the visitor services department in the protection of the collection, individual departmental training as required and identifying and prioritising further staff training requirements in relation to salvage activities.

4. To identify any material, equipment and resource requirements necessary to implement the relevant aspects of the incident management procedure. To procure any resources (as described) and establish budgetary support through the gallery corporate plan.

5. To review and add to the current gallery incident management plan so that it reflects the agreed principles for salvage. This includes updating the salvage guidelines setting out clear principles and procedures for first-line response in any salvage operation of the collection and archives.

6. To disseminate information and principles agreed by the group at departmental level and ensure that the departmental plans of all salvage specialities are written and renewed regularly.

7. To advise and support individual departments in finding training solutions for learning needs arising from their departmental plan.

8. To report on and monitor aviation security procedures with regard to any potential related incident arising. This also includes monitoring of the training program required to implement these procedures.

9. To report all activities and actions of the committee to the incident management planning committee for review.

10.To communicate with and establish possible areas of co-operation with sister institutions such as The National Portrait Gallery, the Courtauld and other similar venues.

'''Committee composition'''

• Head of Art Handling (Committee Chairperson)

• Art Handling Administrator

• Senior Art Handler

• Photography and Imaging Manager

• Fire, Health, Safety and Risk Manager

• Head of Security (or Operations)

• Head of Curatorial (or Representative)

• Conservation (Representative)

• Framing (Representative)

• Senior Collections Registrar

• Research Centre manager

• Scientific (Representative)

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling (Committee Chair) 2022

The Team

2022-06-29T10:22:17Z

Lmarlborough: /* Profiles of Staff: Present and Past */

== History of the Department ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department officially came into being on the 31st of August 1992. As the newly recruited head of team I had started two weeks earlier on the 17th in order to gain some idea of how things operated at the gallery and meet some of the many members of staff we would be working with in the coming years. The team was set up by Patricia Goddard a conservator who the gallery had hired as their picture movements officer roughly three years earlier.

As the picture movements officer Trish Goddard oversaw all the gallery’s picture movements which were carried out by a team of the gallery’s security personnel known collectively as the special working party. They were handpicked by their head of team whose name was Peter Brett. Peter had been doing the job for 26 years and was close to retirement. He had a large practical knowledge of the collection and could tell you where most of the pictures were at any given time without having access to TMS or any of the systems we have in place today. Although the special working party were capable of carry out the work they did with supervision, because they were officially part of the security department there were often conflicts of interest and the personnel who Peter would choose were taught on the job with no previous art handling experience. This was not an ideal situation, given the quality and prestige of The National Gallery’s collection.

As the gallery was moving towards mounting more temporary exhibitions with the opening of the Sainsbury wing a year earlier Trish felt that what was needed urgently was a team of experienced art handlers who would be dedicated to the care of the gallery’s collection and could be relied on to get the work done when it was required and without having to juggle it with their security duties. It took her and the head of exhibitions (Michael Wilson) two years to convince the gallery they needed a dedicated team, and this was to be the beginning of a new chapter in how the gallery would manage the movement of its pictures and loans to and from the collection.

My first two weeks at the gallery went by in a whirlwind of activity. I worked with Peter, his supervisor (Colin Lyonette) and of course the special working party who were made up of a core team which depending on the day and the jobs would be supplemented with other members of the security department who would be called in to assist when needed. Out of this core team there were four who had successfully interviewed for the new department that was about to be launched. They were John Thompson, Ray Butcher, Nigel Stevens and Stewart Wilson. John, Ray and Nigel had all worked for the security department as warders for years but had become tried and tested members of Peter’s core team so had done a lot of work with the special working party. Stewart had joined the gallery just over a year earlier as a warder but on the condition that he would be able to work with the special working party. He was a lot younger than the others and was a practising artist in his spare time. He knew the new department was in the process of being developed and joined the gallery with a view to gaining a place in there when it was finally formed.

On the morning of the 31st of August, I went to collect the new team members from the waiting room by the Wilkins entrance. The new arrivals were Mark Slattery, Matthew Thompson and Dominic Moore. Mark and Matthew had come from art transport and service companies (as had I) and Dominic came from working over at the South Bank Centre. It was an understatement to say this was quite a change for all us moving to an institution like The National Gallery. Everything was a great deal more regimented and systems were in place for most of the things we did.

Over the first year as we gained confidence and became conversant with what we were expected to do we were able to start making changes to the way we operated. There were many archaic practises and pieces of equipment in place which needed updating. We added drawers and upgraded the two old wooden picture trolleys which seemed to have been in use since the 50’s or 60’s possibly even earlier than that. We got rid of slot head screws which seemed to be the gold standard when the rest of the world had moved over to cross headed screws decades before. We bought cordless drill drivers and made up new skates to replace the old piano wheels (which were all the team had available up till then.)

We were very fortunate in that Trish was keen to see us develop our roll and turn the art handling department into a world class unit. Looking back from my vantage point today I believe that vision has been realized beyond anything we could have imagined back at the beginning and continues to be improved on constantly. We have gone from a gallery where all work at height was done off tall apex ladders which would make any health and safety officer shudder to Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPS).

We have developed and had manufactured a range of new adjustable picture trolleys to help us move pictures and make their installation simpler and safer along with a case roller to make the packing and unpacking of paintings safer and easier. We have also redesigned and changed most of the hanging hardware the gallery uses and are continuing to innovate and improve the systems we have in place. It is exciting to see how much we have changed and improved our equipment and methods of working over the years. As we look to the future it is safe to say that we will not be stopping the designing and innovating that characterises this department any time soon.

[[Danny Metcalf|Danny Metcalf]] , Senior Technician

[[File:SpecialWorkingParty.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Organisational Chart ==

[[File:AH_Organisational_Chart_June_22.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Current Roles ==

The art handling team at The National Gallery has gone through a number of structural changes throughout its 28-year history, the most recent of which included an expansion of the technician resource.

The team complement of the art handling department had remained relatively stable for most of its history, established at between 9 and 10 technicians plus the head of department on the department’s formation in 1992. This figure decreased slightly from 2000 onwards but since 2015 the volume and ambition of the gallery, particularly in the field of exhibitions and site reconstruction, has expanded enormously. This has led to a corresponding need to increase our resources and reappraise our approach in the face of this expansion.

The team complement is now 14 with 12 dedicated technicians plus an administrator role and the head of department. The technician structure is now split into three sections consisting of 3 senior technicians, 3 team supervisors and 6 art handlers.

The following is a description each role and its primary function, the tasks mentioned being by no means exclusive.

'''Senior Technician'''

As the volume and complexity of our work has increased over the years, we have adopted a project-based approach to our schedule to organise ourselves. The aim of the department is to have enough resources and team management capacity to be able to deliver two major projects plus our normal collection management work in any given week. Crucial to this is the role of the senior technician. As projects are assigned to each senior technician. Their role is to accept the responsibility of all necessary logistical, communication and team functions that will deliver the project from the point of view of art handling. This includes liaising with the head of department, keeping them informed of the progress of the project and seeking assistance where necessary.

A key element is the management of the main team, assessing and securing the resources necessary and then instructing the team in their actions. As part of team management, the senior technician will appoint a team supervisor as their deputy on each of the projects they have responsibility for.

National Gallery senior technicians are required to have extensive and expert knowledge and experience of the role of art handling. This will include an accumulation of technical knowledge concerning the gallery collection itself. The role of the senior being the primary source of art handling expertise when representing the gallery in any area.

In addition, senior technicians are expected to innovate both in the area of process and equipment. This will also involve managing projects begun by other members of the team including evaluating the project viability and designing a road map to see through to completion.

'''Team Supervisor'''

The National Gallery team supervisor works closely with the senior technician on any project as defined by the head of department and the senior technician. The team supervisor will work directly with the main technician complement of the team, supervising them in the tasks assigned to the department. This involves active participation in all activities, ensuring the standards required of the team are met and that each technician has the necessary support to fulfil their role.

The team supervisor will also deputise for any senior technician on a temporary basis according to the needs of a particular project. This includes representing the senior technician at planning meetings as well as accepting the responsibilities of the senior technician at major events such as installations.

The role requires extensive practical experience and the team supervisor is expected to have developed significant knowledge and expertise within the area of art handling.

In addition, the team supervisor is expected to be able to contribute to any technical discussion including innovating on technical solutions. The team supervisor is also expected to instigate or accept leadership of some projects, referring to the senior technician for guidance where necessary.

'''Art Handler'''

The role of an art handler at The National Gallery covers all practical considerations within the area of art handling. This includes activity around the collection, any exhibition on site and the correct handling and preparation of any work of art within the confines of The National Gallery site. In addition, National Gallery art handlers frequently work as couriers for the gallery, representing all gallery concerns when loaning elements of the collection to our partners and allied institutions.

Art Handlers are expected to already have developed a strong knowledge of the principles of art handling before they join the team at the gallery. This will include extensive experience within the field and the acquiring of excellent practical skills associated with the work.

Art handling teams rely on strong communication and teamwork attributes and each National Gallery art handler is expected to be a willing team member, adaptable to the many different scenarios they may experience within the discipline.

Though art handlers do not ordinarily lead on projects, all team members are expected to be capable of innovation and independence of thought dedicated to the solution of a problem. Each art handler will normally be assigned a senior technician as their line manager and will be prepared to accept instructions from any member of the management team.

'''Administrator'''

The department administrator is a critical role that works closely with both the head of department and the senior technicians in all planning concerns regarding the activity of the team. The administrator is the main point of contact for all other gallery departments wishing to engage the art handling team or to share information.

The administrator will commonly make initial decisions on the viability of daily tasks of the team (for example the loans program) before working with the head to finalise the long-term schedule. They will act as support for each team project, working closely with a senior technician on all logistical matters to realise the goals of the department. All daily admin functions of the department fall within the remit of the administrator. This includes invoicing and budgeting, worksheet production, all external communication (including GDPR management) and the critical role of location recording and database management (from the perspective of art handling) of the collection.

The administrator is also the manager of the department’s wiki page, formulated to ensure the history and knowledge of the department is recorded and to promote high standards of practice within art handling.

'''Head of Department'''

The head of department takes responsibility for all aspects of the team’s performance. The main role of the head is to ensure the team performs its function within the principals and priorities as defined by the main mission of The National Gallery. This will include taking overall responsibility for all strategic and tactical concerns within the context of the department.

The head will have a strong working relationship with all members of the department, but this is particularly focused on the senior technicians and the department administrator.

The head will represent the department within the context of the management of the gallery including at external meetings or presentations. The department sits within the collection directorate and is considered an arm of preventative conservation, being closely associated with the gallery’s conservation department. The Head’s role in this area is to ensure the department functions within the principles of preventative conservation which should inform each part of the department’s activity.

The head works closely with the department administrator to plan both the daily and long-term work of the team. The head is also expected to have extensive experience and knowledge of all art handling areas and will on occasion lead or participate in significant activity.

The head will also innovate and promote improvements in all areas concerning the department. This may include equipment development, process design or team structure and requirements, both designing and implementing changes and improvements wherever necessary.

== A Day in the Life ... ==

As of writing, my time working behind the scenes in the art industry stands at approximately 7 years. During that time, I've had the privilege to explore a few distinct faces of the industry. The bulk of my experience lies in the private sector, having spent several years at art shipping / logistics companies. This experience saw me installing exhibitions at commercial galleries / art fairs, fabricating crates for shipping, and installing in private residences to name a few.

Working in the private sector can be incredibly fast paced, exciting and stressful. Often your own ingenuity and that of your colleagues is all you can rely on, as equipment and materials are often limited or lacking. As stimulating as that can be, it often left me feeling dissatisfied with the motivations of the individuals and companies I worked for.

The opportunity to work for a publicly funded institution like The National Gallery was something I couldn’t pass up.

Adapting to the processes and methods of the art handling department at The National Gallery required some un-learning and adjustment on my part. The department is well established and as a result has its own well-established idiosyncrasies. The department's equipment has been designed in-house and is unique to the Gallery. Equally so, the hardware art handling uses, has also been designed in-house by the various stalwarts of the department. Each new piece of equipment is designed or adapted out of necessity to solve a problem and is in a constant state of evolution and review to ensure it better fits its required use.

My colleagues and I are invited to engage in this conversation constantly which is flattering and refreshing. Before now I hadn’t worked in such a collegiate and collaborative environment.

Working at The National Gallery is almost the antithesis of my experience as a technician. The National Gallery is custodian to some 2,300 works and has been building its collection for nearly 200 years. Being a part of that, however small is incredibly humbling and I’m incredibly happy that I’ve found myself here.

Sam Hallett, Art Handler

== Profiles of Staff: Present and Past ==

 

[[File:AHTeamPortrait.jpg|500px|left]]

 

Team (current and former); left to right:
Simon Wallis, Dan Haddock, Sam Hallet, Alex Hinks,
 Mark Slattery, Patrick O'Sullivan, (seated back) Jamie Bell, Kasper Pincis, Tom Hemming
 (seated front) Alan Brooks, James Lindley, Danny Metcalf and Dave Morgan

'''Ray Butcher''' | Art Handler 1988 - 2012

The pathway into professional art handling in museums is often highly varied. Among the traits that are indispensable are an ability to use tools safely and effectively, and an understanding of the materials that are commonly used in the production of paintings, frames and mounts. With these essential abilities at Ray’s disposal, he was recruited onto the art handling team twelve months after joining the Gallery in 1987. He had just moved to London with his family from North Wales where he had been living and working. The drive to London was all the more dramatic due to the effects of the severe storm that hit the country the night before.

He was first hired as a room warder, guarding the paintings during opening times. He soon came to attention of Peter Brett, then head art handler. Back then the technicians were known as the Working Party. Ray says, ‘Given my background working with tools and my hands all my working life, he gave me a trial picture handling’. Members of the Working Party were recruited from the corps of warders and were required to continue working as such when not engaged in art handling duties, particularly on Sundays. He continues, ‘It went well for me and I took to it like a duck to water. In short, I loved it’.

Ray had served a trade apprenticeship in auto repair and made a good living repairing car bodies. It is a complex area requiring multiple skills and abilities from welding to paint spraying. Whilst welding generally isn’t a requirement for handling the collection, an ability to solve technical and mechanical problems certainly is. Ray came up with a number of innovations which served the needs of the department and was always keen to build and adapt equipment as necessary.

Along with technical prowess, personal skills are another necessary trait. Art handlers are frequently deployed to sites elsewhere where they perform a variety of duties normally associated with care of our collection. Representing the gallery in a professional capacity is another responsibility we demand of our team. Ray’s character lent itself very well to this diverse role.

He says, ‘In those days the new occupants of number 10 and 11 Downing St, were able to borrow paintings from the Gallery’s secondary collection. These were normally chosen by the spouse of the Prime Minister or Chancellor. That in turn afforded me the opportunity of visiting number 10 twice and number 11 once to courier paintings back after a change of personnel’.

Ray’s time at the gallery dates from before the Sainsbury Wing opened. He was one of the founding members of the modern art handling department, when the gallery changed from recruiting from the security team and established art handling as a specialism. During his time on the team he became a supervisor, personally mentoring and training newly appointed staff.

Ray retired from the gallery in 2012 and moved away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city Earls Court to a quieter life by the Kent coast.

Mark Slattery, Senior Technician

The Team

2022-06-29T10:20:48Z

Lmarlborough: /* Current Roles */

== History of the Department ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department officially came into being on the 31st of August 1992. As the newly recruited head of team I had started two weeks earlier on the 17th in order to gain some idea of how things operated at the gallery and meet some of the many members of staff we would be working with in the coming years. The team was set up by Patricia Goddard a conservator who the gallery had hired as their picture movements officer roughly three years earlier.

As the picture movements officer Trish Goddard oversaw all the gallery’s picture movements which were carried out by a team of the gallery’s security personnel known collectively as the special working party. They were handpicked by their head of team whose name was Peter Brett. Peter had been doing the job for 26 years and was close to retirement. He had a large practical knowledge of the collection and could tell you where most of the pictures were at any given time without having access to TMS or any of the systems we have in place today. Although the special working party were capable of carry out the work they did with supervision, because they were officially part of the security department there were often conflicts of interest and the personnel who Peter would choose were taught on the job with no previous art handling experience. This was not an ideal situation, given the quality and prestige of The National Gallery’s collection.

As the gallery was moving towards mounting more temporary exhibitions with the opening of the Sainsbury wing a year earlier Trish felt that what was needed urgently was a team of experienced art handlers who would be dedicated to the care of the gallery’s collection and could be relied on to get the work done when it was required and without having to juggle it with their security duties. It took her and the head of exhibitions (Michael Wilson) two years to convince the gallery they needed a dedicated team, and this was to be the beginning of a new chapter in how the gallery would manage the movement of its pictures and loans to and from the collection.

My first two weeks at the gallery went by in a whirlwind of activity. I worked with Peter, his supervisor (Colin Lyonette) and of course the special working party who were made up of a core team which depending on the day and the jobs would be supplemented with other members of the security department who would be called in to assist when needed. Out of this core team there were four who had successfully interviewed for the new department that was about to be launched. They were John Thompson, Ray Butcher, Nigel Stevens and Stewart Wilson. John, Ray and Nigel had all worked for the security department as warders for years but had become tried and tested members of Peter’s core team so had done a lot of work with the special working party. Stewart had joined the gallery just over a year earlier as a warder but on the condition that he would be able to work with the special working party. He was a lot younger than the others and was a practising artist in his spare time. He knew the new department was in the process of being developed and joined the gallery with a view to gaining a place in there when it was finally formed.

On the morning of the 31st of August, I went to collect the new team members from the waiting room by the Wilkins entrance. The new arrivals were Mark Slattery, Matthew Thompson and Dominic Moore. Mark and Matthew had come from art transport and service companies (as had I) and Dominic came from working over at the South Bank Centre. It was an understatement to say this was quite a change for all us moving to an institution like The National Gallery. Everything was a great deal more regimented and systems were in place for most of the things we did.

Over the first year as we gained confidence and became conversant with what we were expected to do we were able to start making changes to the way we operated. There were many archaic practises and pieces of equipment in place which needed updating. We added drawers and upgraded the two old wooden picture trolleys which seemed to have been in use since the 50’s or 60’s possibly even earlier than that. We got rid of slot head screws which seemed to be the gold standard when the rest of the world had moved over to cross headed screws decades before. We bought cordless drill drivers and made up new skates to replace the old piano wheels (which were all the team had available up till then.)

We were very fortunate in that Trish was keen to see us develop our roll and turn the art handling department into a world class unit. Looking back from my vantage point today I believe that vision has been realized beyond anything we could have imagined back at the beginning and continues to be improved on constantly. We have gone from a gallery where all work at height was done off tall apex ladders which would make any health and safety officer shudder to Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPS).

We have developed and had manufactured a range of new adjustable picture trolleys to help us move pictures and make their installation simpler and safer along with a case roller to make the packing and unpacking of paintings safer and easier. We have also redesigned and changed most of the hanging hardware the gallery uses and are continuing to innovate and improve the systems we have in place. It is exciting to see how much we have changed and improved our equipment and methods of working over the years. As we look to the future it is safe to say that we will not be stopping the designing and innovating that characterises this department any time soon.

[[Danny Metcalf|Danny Metcalf]] , Senior Technician

[[File:SpecialWorkingParty.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Organisational Chart ==

[[File:AH_Organisational_Chart_June_22.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Current Roles ==

The art handling team at The National Gallery has gone through a number of structural changes throughout its 28-year history, the most recent of which included an expansion of the technician resource.

The team complement of the art handling department had remained relatively stable for most of its history, established at between 9 and 10 technicians plus the head of department on the department’s formation in 1992. This figure decreased slightly from 2000 onwards but since 2015 the volume and ambition of the gallery, particularly in the field of exhibitions and site reconstruction, has expanded enormously. This has led to a corresponding need to increase our resources and reappraise our approach in the face of this expansion.

The team complement is now 14 with 12 dedicated technicians plus an administrator role and the head of department. The technician structure is now split into three sections consisting of 3 senior technicians, 3 team supervisors and 6 art handlers.

The following is a description each role and its primary function, the tasks mentioned being by no means exclusive.

'''Senior Technician'''

As the volume and complexity of our work has increased over the years, we have adopted a project-based approach to our schedule to organise ourselves. The aim of the department is to have enough resources and team management capacity to be able to deliver two major projects plus our normal collection management work in any given week. Crucial to this is the role of the senior technician. As projects are assigned to each senior technician. Their role is to accept the responsibility of all necessary logistical, communication and team functions that will deliver the project from the point of view of art handling. This includes liaising with the head of department, keeping them informed of the progress of the project and seeking assistance where necessary.

A key element is the management of the main team, assessing and securing the resources necessary and then instructing the team in their actions. As part of team management, the senior technician will appoint a team supervisor as their deputy on each of the projects they have responsibility for.

National Gallery senior technicians are required to have extensive and expert knowledge and experience of the role of art handling. This will include an accumulation of technical knowledge concerning the gallery collection itself. The role of the senior being the primary source of art handling expertise when representing the gallery in any area.

In addition, senior technicians are expected to innovate both in the area of process and equipment. This will also involve managing projects begun by other members of the team including evaluating the project viability and designing a road map to see through to completion.

'''Team Supervisor'''

The National Gallery team supervisor works closely with the senior technician on any project as defined by the head of department and the senior technician. The team supervisor will work directly with the main technician complement of the team, supervising them in the tasks assigned to the department. This involves active participation in all activities, ensuring the standards required of the team are met and that each technician has the necessary support to fulfil their role.

The team supervisor will also deputise for any senior technician on a temporary basis according to the needs of a particular project. This includes representing the senior technician at planning meetings as well as accepting the responsibilities of the senior technician at major events such as installations.

The role requires extensive practical experience and the team supervisor is expected to have developed significant knowledge and expertise within the area of art handling.

In addition, the team supervisor is expected to be able to contribute to any technical discussion including innovating on technical solutions. The team supervisor is also expected to instigate or accept leadership of some projects, referring to the senior technician for guidance where necessary.

'''Art Handler'''

The role of an art handler at The National Gallery covers all practical considerations within the area of art handling. This includes activity around the collection, any exhibition on site and the correct handling and preparation of any work of art within the confines of The National Gallery site. In addition, National Gallery art handlers frequently work as couriers for the gallery, representing all gallery concerns when loaning elements of the collection to our partners and allied institutions.

Art Handlers are expected to already have developed a strong knowledge of the principles of art handling before they join the team at the gallery. This will include extensive experience within the field and the acquiring of excellent practical skills associated with the work.

Art handling teams rely on strong communication and teamwork attributes and each National Gallery art handler is expected to be a willing team member, adaptable to the many different scenarios they may experience within the discipline.

Though art handlers do not ordinarily lead on projects, all team members are expected to be capable of innovation and independence of thought dedicated to the solution of a problem. Each art handler will normally be assigned a senior technician as their line manager and will be prepared to accept instructions from any member of the management team.

'''Administrator'''

The department administrator is a critical role that works closely with both the head of department and the senior technicians in all planning concerns regarding the activity of the team. The administrator is the main point of contact for all other gallery departments wishing to engage the art handling team or to share information.

The administrator will commonly make initial decisions on the viability of daily tasks of the team (for example the loans program) before working with the head to finalise the long-term schedule. They will act as support for each team project, working closely with a senior technician on all logistical matters to realise the goals of the department. All daily admin functions of the department fall within the remit of the administrator. This includes invoicing and budgeting, worksheet production, all external communication (including GDPR management) and the critical role of location recording and database management (from the perspective of art handling) of the collection.

The administrator is also the manager of the department’s wiki page, formulated to ensure the history and knowledge of the department is recorded and to promote high standards of practice within art handling.

'''Head of Department'''

The head of department takes responsibility for all aspects of the team’s performance. The main role of the head is to ensure the team performs its function within the principals and priorities as defined by the main mission of The National Gallery. This will include taking overall responsibility for all strategic and tactical concerns within the context of the department.

The head will have a strong working relationship with all members of the department, but this is particularly focused on the senior technicians and the department administrator.

The head will represent the department within the context of the management of the gallery including at external meetings or presentations. The department sits within the collection directorate and is considered an arm of preventative conservation, being closely associated with the gallery’s conservation department. The Head’s role in this area is to ensure the department functions within the principles of preventative conservation which should inform each part of the department’s activity.

The head works closely with the department administrator to plan both the daily and long-term work of the team. The head is also expected to have extensive experience and knowledge of all art handling areas and will on occasion lead or participate in significant activity.

The head will also innovate and promote improvements in all areas concerning the department. This may include equipment development, process design or team structure and requirements, both designing and implementing changes and improvements wherever necessary.

== A Day in the Life ... ==

As of writing, my time working behind the scenes in the art industry stands at approximately 7 years. During that time, I've had the privilege to explore a few distinct faces of the industry. The bulk of my experience lies in the private sector, having spent several years at art shipping / logistics companies. This experience saw me installing exhibitions at commercial galleries / art fairs, fabricating crates for shipping, and installing in private residences to name a few.

Working in the private sector can be incredibly fast paced, exciting and stressful. Often your own ingenuity and that of your colleagues is all you can rely on, as equipment and materials are often limited or lacking. As stimulating as that can be, it often left me feeling dissatisfied with the motivations of the individuals and companies I worked for.

The opportunity to work for a publicly funded institution like The National Gallery was something I couldn’t pass up.

Adapting to the processes and methods of the art handling department at The National Gallery required some un-learning and adjustment on my part. The department is well established and as a result has its own well-established idiosyncrasies. The department's equipment has been designed in-house and is unique to the Gallery. Equally so, the hardware art handling uses, has also been designed in-house by the various stalwarts of the department. Each new piece of equipment is designed or adapted out of necessity to solve a problem and is in a constant state of evolution and review to ensure it better fits its required use.

My colleagues and I are invited to engage in this conversation constantly which is flattering and refreshing. Before now I hadn’t worked in such a collegiate and collaborative environment.

Working at The National Gallery is almost the antithesis of my experience as a technician. The National Gallery is custodian to some 2,300 works and has been building its collection for nearly 200 years. Being a part of that, however small is incredibly humbling and I’m incredibly happy that I’ve found myself here.

Sam Hallett, Art Handler

== Profiles of Staff: Present and Past ==

 

[[File:AHTeamPortrait.jpg|500px|left]]

 

Team (current and former); left to right:
Simon Wallis, Dan Haddock, Sam Hallet, Alex Hinks,
 Mark Slattery, Patrick O'Sullivan, (seated back) Jamie Bell, Kasper Pincis, Tom Hemming
 (seated front) Alan Brooks, James Lindley, Danny Metcalf and Dave Morgan

'''Ray Butcher''' | Art Handler 1988 - 2012

The pathway into professional art handling in museums is often highly varied. Among the traits that are indispensable are an ability to use tools safely and effectively, and an understanding of the materials that are commonly used in the production of paintings, frames and mounts. With these essential abilities at Ray’s disposal, he was recruited onto the art handling team twelve months after joining the Gallery in 1987. He had just moved to London with his family from North Wales where he had been living and working. The drive to London was all the more dramatic due to the effects of the severe storm that hit the country the night before.

He was first hired as a room warder, guarding the paintings during opening times. He soon came to attention of Peter Brett, then Head art handler. Back then the technicians were known as the Working Party. Ray says, ‘Given my background working with tools and my hands all my working life, he gave me a trial picture handling’. Members of the Working Party were recruited from the corps of warders and were required to continue working as such when not engaged in art handling duties, particularly on Sundays. He continues, ‘It went well for me and I took to it like a duck to water. In short, I loved it’.

Ray had served a trade apprenticeship in auto repair and made a good living repairing car bodies. It is a complex area requiring multiple skills and abilities from welding to paint spraying. Whilst welding generally isn’t a requirement for handling the collection, an ability to solve technical and mechanical problems certainly is. Ray came up with a number of innovations which served the needs of the department and was always keen to build and adapt equipment as necessary.

Along with technical prowess, personal skills are another necessary trait. Art handlers are frequently deployed to sites elsewhere where they perform a variety of duties normally associated with care of our collection. Representing the gallery in a professional capacity is another responsibility we demand of our team. Ray’s character lent itself very well to this diverse role.

He says, ‘In those days the new occupants of number 10 and 11 Downing St, were able to borrow paintings from the Gallery’s secondary collection. These were normally chosen by the spouse of the Prime Minister or Chancellor. That in turn afforded me the opportunity of visiting number 10 twice and number 11 once to courier paintings back after a change of personnel’.

Ray’s time at the gallery dates from before the Sainsbury Wing opened. He was one of the founding members of the modern art handling department, when the gallery changed from recruiting from the security team and established art handling as a specialism. During his time on the team he became a supervisor, personally mentoring and training newly appointed staff.

Ray retired from the gallery in 2012 and moved away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city Earls Court to a quieter life by the Kent coast.

Mark Slattery, Senior Technician

The Team

2022-06-29T10:19:55Z

Lmarlborough: /* Organisational Chart */

== History of the Department ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department officially came into being on the 31st of August 1992. As the newly recruited head of team I had started two weeks earlier on the 17th in order to gain some idea of how things operated at the gallery and meet some of the many members of staff we would be working with in the coming years. The team was set up by Patricia Goddard a conservator who the gallery had hired as their picture movements officer roughly three years earlier.

As the picture movements officer Trish Goddard oversaw all the gallery’s picture movements which were carried out by a team of the gallery’s security personnel known collectively as the special working party. They were handpicked by their head of team whose name was Peter Brett. Peter had been doing the job for 26 years and was close to retirement. He had a large practical knowledge of the collection and could tell you where most of the pictures were at any given time without having access to TMS or any of the systems we have in place today. Although the special working party were capable of carry out the work they did with supervision, because they were officially part of the security department there were often conflicts of interest and the personnel who Peter would choose were taught on the job with no previous art handling experience. This was not an ideal situation, given the quality and prestige of The National Gallery’s collection.

As the gallery was moving towards mounting more temporary exhibitions with the opening of the Sainsbury wing a year earlier Trish felt that what was needed urgently was a team of experienced art handlers who would be dedicated to the care of the gallery’s collection and could be relied on to get the work done when it was required and without having to juggle it with their security duties. It took her and the head of exhibitions (Michael Wilson) two years to convince the gallery they needed a dedicated team, and this was to be the beginning of a new chapter in how the gallery would manage the movement of its pictures and loans to and from the collection.

My first two weeks at the gallery went by in a whirlwind of activity. I worked with Peter, his supervisor (Colin Lyonette) and of course the special working party who were made up of a core team which depending on the day and the jobs would be supplemented with other members of the security department who would be called in to assist when needed. Out of this core team there were four who had successfully interviewed for the new department that was about to be launched. They were John Thompson, Ray Butcher, Nigel Stevens and Stewart Wilson. John, Ray and Nigel had all worked for the security department as warders for years but had become tried and tested members of Peter’s core team so had done a lot of work with the special working party. Stewart had joined the gallery just over a year earlier as a warder but on the condition that he would be able to work with the special working party. He was a lot younger than the others and was a practising artist in his spare time. He knew the new department was in the process of being developed and joined the gallery with a view to gaining a place in there when it was finally formed.

On the morning of the 31st of August, I went to collect the new team members from the waiting room by the Wilkins entrance. The new arrivals were Mark Slattery, Matthew Thompson and Dominic Moore. Mark and Matthew had come from art transport and service companies (as had I) and Dominic came from working over at the South Bank Centre. It was an understatement to say this was quite a change for all us moving to an institution like The National Gallery. Everything was a great deal more regimented and systems were in place for most of the things we did.

Over the first year as we gained confidence and became conversant with what we were expected to do we were able to start making changes to the way we operated. There were many archaic practises and pieces of equipment in place which needed updating. We added drawers and upgraded the two old wooden picture trolleys which seemed to have been in use since the 50’s or 60’s possibly even earlier than that. We got rid of slot head screws which seemed to be the gold standard when the rest of the world had moved over to cross headed screws decades before. We bought cordless drill drivers and made up new skates to replace the old piano wheels (which were all the team had available up till then.)

We were very fortunate in that Trish was keen to see us develop our roll and turn the art handling department into a world class unit. Looking back from my vantage point today I believe that vision has been realized beyond anything we could have imagined back at the beginning and continues to be improved on constantly. We have gone from a gallery where all work at height was done off tall apex ladders which would make any health and safety officer shudder to Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPS).

We have developed and had manufactured a range of new adjustable picture trolleys to help us move pictures and make their installation simpler and safer along with a case roller to make the packing and unpacking of paintings safer and easier. We have also redesigned and changed most of the hanging hardware the gallery uses and are continuing to innovate and improve the systems we have in place. It is exciting to see how much we have changed and improved our equipment and methods of working over the years. As we look to the future it is safe to say that we will not be stopping the designing and innovating that characterises this department any time soon.

[[Danny Metcalf|Danny Metcalf]] , Senior Technician

[[File:SpecialWorkingParty.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Organisational Chart ==

[[File:AH_Organisational_Chart_June_22.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Current Roles ==

The art handling team at The National Gallery has gone through a number of structural changes throughout its 28-year history, the most recent of which included an expansion of the technician resource.

The team complement of the art handling department had remained relatively stable for most of its history, established at between 9 and 10 technicians plus the head of department on the department’s formation in 1992. This figure decreased slightly from 2000 onwards but since 2015 the volume and ambition of the gallery, particularly in the field of exhibitions and site reconstruction, has expanded enormously. This has led to a corresponding need to increase our resources and reappraise our approach in the face of this expansion.

The team complement is now 13 with 11 dedicated technicians plus an administrator role and the head of department. The technician structure is now split into three sections consisting of 3 senior technicians, 3 team supervisors and 5 art handlers.

The following is a description each role and its primary function, the tasks mentioned being by no means exclusive.

'''Senior Technician'''

As the volume and complexity of our work has increased over the years, we have adopted a project-based approach to our schedule to organise ourselves. The aim of the department is to have enough resources and team management capacity to be able to deliver two major projects plus our normal collection management work in any given week. Crucial to this is the role of the senior technician. As projects are assigned to each senior technician. Their role is to accept the responsibility of all necessary logistical, communication and team functions that will deliver the project from the point of view of art handling. This includes liaising with the head of department, keeping them informed of the progress of the project and seeking assistance where necessary.

A key element is the management of the main team, assessing and securing the resources necessary and then instructing the team in their actions. As part of team management, the senior technician will appoint a team supervisor as their deputy on each of the projects they have responsibility for.

National Gallery senior technicians are required to have extensive and expert knowledge and experience of the role of art handling. This will include an accumulation of technical knowledge concerning the gallery collection itself. The role of the senior being the primary source of art handling expertise when representing the gallery in any area.

In addition, senior technicians are expected to innovate both in the area of process and equipment. This will also involve managing projects begun by other members of the team including evaluating the project viability and designing a road map to see through to completion.

'''Team Supervisor'''

The National Gallery team supervisor works closely with the senior technician on any project as defined by the head of department and the senior technician. The team supervisor will work directly with the main technician complement of the team, supervising them in the tasks assigned to the department. This involves active participation in all activities, ensuring the standards required of the team are met and that each technician has the necessary support to fulfil their role.

The team supervisor will also deputise for any senior technician on a temporary basis according to the needs of a particular project. This includes representing the senior technician at planning meetings as well as accepting the responsibilities of the senior technician at major events such as installations.

The role requires extensive practical experience and the team supervisor is expected to have developed significant knowledge and expertise within the area of art handling.

In addition, the team supervisor is expected to be able to contribute to any technical discussion including innovating on technical solutions. The team supervisor is also expected to instigate or accept leadership of some projects, referring to the senior technician for guidance where necessary.

'''Art Handler'''

The role of an art handler at The National Gallery covers all practical considerations within the area of art handling. This includes activity around the collection, any exhibition on site and the correct handling and preparation of any work of art within the confines of The National Gallery site. In addition, National Gallery art handlers frequently work as couriers for the gallery, representing all gallery concerns when loaning elements of the collection to our partners and allied institutions.

Art Handlers are expected to already have developed a strong knowledge of the principles of art handling before they join the team at the gallery. This will include extensive experience within the field and the acquiring of excellent practical skills associated with the work.

Art handling teams rely on strong communication and teamwork attributes and each National Gallery art handler is expected to be a willing team member, adaptable to the many different scenarios they may experience within the discipline.

Though art handlers do not ordinarily lead on projects, all team members are expected to be capable of innovation and independence of thought dedicated to the solution of a problem. Each art handler will normally be assigned a senior technician as their line manager and will be prepared to accept instructions from any member of the management team.

'''Administrator'''

The department administrator is a critical role that works closely with both the head of department and the senior technicians in all planning concerns regarding the activity of the team. The administrator is the main point of contact for all other gallery departments wishing to engage the art handling team or to share information.

The administrator will commonly make initial decisions on the viability of daily tasks of the team (for example the loans program) before working with the head to finalise the long-term schedule. They will act as support for each team project, working closely with a senior technician on all logistical matters to realise the goals of the department. All daily admin functions of the department fall within the remit of the administrator. This includes invoicing and budgeting, worksheet production, all external communication (including GDPR management) and the critical role of location recording and database management (from the perspective of art handling) of the collection.

The administrator is also the manager of the department’s wiki page, formulated to ensure the history and knowledge of the department is recorded and to promote high standards of practice within art handling.

'''Head of Department'''

The head of department takes responsibility for all aspects of the team’s performance. The main role of the head is to ensure the team performs its function within the principals and priorities as defined by the main mission of The National Gallery. This will include taking overall responsibility for all strategic and tactical concerns within the context of the department.

The head will have a strong working relationship with all members of the department, but this is particularly focused on the senior technicians and the department administrator.

The head will represent the department within the context of the management of the gallery including at external meetings or presentations. The department sits within the collection directorate and is considered an arm of preventative conservation, being closely associated with the gallery’s conservation department. The Head’s role in this area is to ensure the department functions within the principles of preventative conservation which should inform each part of the department’s activity.

The head works closely with the department administrator to plan both the daily and long-term work of the team. The head is also expected to have extensive experience and knowledge of all art handling areas and will on occasion lead or participate in significant activity.

The head will also innovate and promote improvements in all areas concerning the department. This may include equipment development, process design or team structure and requirements, both designing and implementing changes and improvements wherever necessary.

== A Day in the Life ... ==

As of writing, my time working behind the scenes in the art industry stands at approximately 7 years. During that time, I've had the privilege to explore a few distinct faces of the industry. The bulk of my experience lies in the private sector, having spent several years at art shipping / logistics companies. This experience saw me installing exhibitions at commercial galleries / art fairs, fabricating crates for shipping, and installing in private residences to name a few.

Working in the private sector can be incredibly fast paced, exciting and stressful. Often your own ingenuity and that of your colleagues is all you can rely on, as equipment and materials are often limited or lacking. As stimulating as that can be, it often left me feeling dissatisfied with the motivations of the individuals and companies I worked for.

The opportunity to work for a publicly funded institution like The National Gallery was something I couldn’t pass up.

Adapting to the processes and methods of the art handling department at The National Gallery required some un-learning and adjustment on my part. The department is well established and as a result has its own well-established idiosyncrasies. The department's equipment has been designed in-house and is unique to the Gallery. Equally so, the hardware art handling uses, has also been designed in-house by the various stalwarts of the department. Each new piece of equipment is designed or adapted out of necessity to solve a problem and is in a constant state of evolution and review to ensure it better fits its required use.

My colleagues and I are invited to engage in this conversation constantly which is flattering and refreshing. Before now I hadn’t worked in such a collegiate and collaborative environment.

Working at The National Gallery is almost the antithesis of my experience as a technician. The National Gallery is custodian to some 2,300 works and has been building its collection for nearly 200 years. Being a part of that, however small is incredibly humbling and I’m incredibly happy that I’ve found myself here.

Sam Hallett, Art Handler

== Profiles of Staff: Present and Past ==

 

[[File:AHTeamPortrait.jpg|500px|left]]

 

Team (current and former); left to right:
Simon Wallis, Dan Haddock, Sam Hallet, Alex Hinks,
 Mark Slattery, Patrick O'Sullivan, (seated back) Jamie Bell, Kasper Pincis, Tom Hemming
 (seated front) Alan Brooks, James Lindley, Danny Metcalf and Dave Morgan

'''Ray Butcher''' | Art Handler 1988 - 2012

The pathway into professional art handling in museums is often highly varied. Among the traits that are indispensable are an ability to use tools safely and effectively, and an understanding of the materials that are commonly used in the production of paintings, frames and mounts. With these essential abilities at Ray’s disposal, he was recruited onto the art handling team twelve months after joining the Gallery in 1987. He had just moved to London with his family from North Wales where he had been living and working. The drive to London was all the more dramatic due to the effects of the severe storm that hit the country the night before.

He was first hired as a room warder, guarding the paintings during opening times. He soon came to attention of Peter Brett, then Head art handler. Back then the technicians were known as the Working Party. Ray says, ‘Given my background working with tools and my hands all my working life, he gave me a trial picture handling’. Members of the Working Party were recruited from the corps of warders and were required to continue working as such when not engaged in art handling duties, particularly on Sundays. He continues, ‘It went well for me and I took to it like a duck to water. In short, I loved it’.

Ray had served a trade apprenticeship in auto repair and made a good living repairing car bodies. It is a complex area requiring multiple skills and abilities from welding to paint spraying. Whilst welding generally isn’t a requirement for handling the collection, an ability to solve technical and mechanical problems certainly is. Ray came up with a number of innovations which served the needs of the department and was always keen to build and adapt equipment as necessary.

Along with technical prowess, personal skills are another necessary trait. Art handlers are frequently deployed to sites elsewhere where they perform a variety of duties normally associated with care of our collection. Representing the gallery in a professional capacity is another responsibility we demand of our team. Ray’s character lent itself very well to this diverse role.

He says, ‘In those days the new occupants of number 10 and 11 Downing St, were able to borrow paintings from the Gallery’s secondary collection. These were normally chosen by the spouse of the Prime Minister or Chancellor. That in turn afforded me the opportunity of visiting number 10 twice and number 11 once to courier paintings back after a change of personnel’.

Ray’s time at the gallery dates from before the Sainsbury Wing opened. He was one of the founding members of the modern art handling department, when the gallery changed from recruiting from the security team and established art handling as a specialism. During his time on the team he became a supervisor, personally mentoring and training newly appointed staff.

Ray retired from the gallery in 2012 and moved away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city Earls Court to a quieter life by the Kent coast.

Mark Slattery, Senior Technician

File:AH Organisational Chart June 22.jpg

2022-06-29T10:19:41Z

Lmarlborough:

The Team

2022-06-29T10:18:03Z

Lmarlborough: /* Organisational Chart */

== History of the Department ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department officially came into being on the 31st of August 1992. As the newly recruited head of team I had started two weeks earlier on the 17th in order to gain some idea of how things operated at the gallery and meet some of the many members of staff we would be working with in the coming years. The team was set up by Patricia Goddard a conservator who the gallery had hired as their picture movements officer roughly three years earlier.

As the picture movements officer Trish Goddard oversaw all the gallery’s picture movements which were carried out by a team of the gallery’s security personnel known collectively as the special working party. They were handpicked by their head of team whose name was Peter Brett. Peter had been doing the job for 26 years and was close to retirement. He had a large practical knowledge of the collection and could tell you where most of the pictures were at any given time without having access to TMS or any of the systems we have in place today. Although the special working party were capable of carry out the work they did with supervision, because they were officially part of the security department there were often conflicts of interest and the personnel who Peter would choose were taught on the job with no previous art handling experience. This was not an ideal situation, given the quality and prestige of The National Gallery’s collection.

As the gallery was moving towards mounting more temporary exhibitions with the opening of the Sainsbury wing a year earlier Trish felt that what was needed urgently was a team of experienced art handlers who would be dedicated to the care of the gallery’s collection and could be relied on to get the work done when it was required and without having to juggle it with their security duties. It took her and the head of exhibitions (Michael Wilson) two years to convince the gallery they needed a dedicated team, and this was to be the beginning of a new chapter in how the gallery would manage the movement of its pictures and loans to and from the collection.

My first two weeks at the gallery went by in a whirlwind of activity. I worked with Peter, his supervisor (Colin Lyonette) and of course the special working party who were made up of a core team which depending on the day and the jobs would be supplemented with other members of the security department who would be called in to assist when needed. Out of this core team there were four who had successfully interviewed for the new department that was about to be launched. They were John Thompson, Ray Butcher, Nigel Stevens and Stewart Wilson. John, Ray and Nigel had all worked for the security department as warders for years but had become tried and tested members of Peter’s core team so had done a lot of work with the special working party. Stewart had joined the gallery just over a year earlier as a warder but on the condition that he would be able to work with the special working party. He was a lot younger than the others and was a practising artist in his spare time. He knew the new department was in the process of being developed and joined the gallery with a view to gaining a place in there when it was finally formed.

On the morning of the 31st of August, I went to collect the new team members from the waiting room by the Wilkins entrance. The new arrivals were Mark Slattery, Matthew Thompson and Dominic Moore. Mark and Matthew had come from art transport and service companies (as had I) and Dominic came from working over at the South Bank Centre. It was an understatement to say this was quite a change for all us moving to an institution like The National Gallery. Everything was a great deal more regimented and systems were in place for most of the things we did.

Over the first year as we gained confidence and became conversant with what we were expected to do we were able to start making changes to the way we operated. There were many archaic practises and pieces of equipment in place which needed updating. We added drawers and upgraded the two old wooden picture trolleys which seemed to have been in use since the 50’s or 60’s possibly even earlier than that. We got rid of slot head screws which seemed to be the gold standard when the rest of the world had moved over to cross headed screws decades before. We bought cordless drill drivers and made up new skates to replace the old piano wheels (which were all the team had available up till then.)

We were very fortunate in that Trish was keen to see us develop our roll and turn the art handling department into a world class unit. Looking back from my vantage point today I believe that vision has been realized beyond anything we could have imagined back at the beginning and continues to be improved on constantly. We have gone from a gallery where all work at height was done off tall apex ladders which would make any health and safety officer shudder to Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPS).

We have developed and had manufactured a range of new adjustable picture trolleys to help us move pictures and make their installation simpler and safer along with a case roller to make the packing and unpacking of paintings safer and easier. We have also redesigned and changed most of the hanging hardware the gallery uses and are continuing to innovate and improve the systems we have in place. It is exciting to see how much we have changed and improved our equipment and methods of working over the years. As we look to the future it is safe to say that we will not be stopping the designing and innovating that characterises this department any time soon.

[[Danny Metcalf|Danny Metcalf]] , Senior Technician

[[File:SpecialWorkingParty.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Organisational Chart ==

[[File:AH Organisational Chart current.jpg|500px|left]]

 

== Current Roles ==

The art handling team at The National Gallery has gone through a number of structural changes throughout its 28-year history, the most recent of which included an expansion of the technician resource.

The team complement of the art handling department had remained relatively stable for most of its history, established at between 9 and 10 technicians plus the head of department on the department’s formation in 1992. This figure decreased slightly from 2000 onwards but since 2015 the volume and ambition of the gallery, particularly in the field of exhibitions and site reconstruction, has expanded enormously. This has led to a corresponding need to increase our resources and reappraise our approach in the face of this expansion.

The team complement is now 13 with 11 dedicated technicians plus an administrator role and the head of department. The technician structure is now split into three sections consisting of 3 senior technicians, 3 team supervisors and 5 art handlers.

The following is a description each role and its primary function, the tasks mentioned being by no means exclusive.

'''Senior Technician'''

As the volume and complexity of our work has increased over the years, we have adopted a project-based approach to our schedule to organise ourselves. The aim of the department is to have enough resources and team management capacity to be able to deliver two major projects plus our normal collection management work in any given week. Crucial to this is the role of the senior technician. As projects are assigned to each senior technician. Their role is to accept the responsibility of all necessary logistical, communication and team functions that will deliver the project from the point of view of art handling. This includes liaising with the head of department, keeping them informed of the progress of the project and seeking assistance where necessary.

A key element is the management of the main team, assessing and securing the resources necessary and then instructing the team in their actions. As part of team management, the senior technician will appoint a team supervisor as their deputy on each of the projects they have responsibility for.

National Gallery senior technicians are required to have extensive and expert knowledge and experience of the role of art handling. This will include an accumulation of technical knowledge concerning the gallery collection itself. The role of the senior being the primary source of art handling expertise when representing the gallery in any area.

In addition, senior technicians are expected to innovate both in the area of process and equipment. This will also involve managing projects begun by other members of the team including evaluating the project viability and designing a road map to see through to completion.

'''Team Supervisor'''

The National Gallery team supervisor works closely with the senior technician on any project as defined by the head of department and the senior technician. The team supervisor will work directly with the main technician complement of the team, supervising them in the tasks assigned to the department. This involves active participation in all activities, ensuring the standards required of the team are met and that each technician has the necessary support to fulfil their role.

The team supervisor will also deputise for any senior technician on a temporary basis according to the needs of a particular project. This includes representing the senior technician at planning meetings as well as accepting the responsibilities of the senior technician at major events such as installations.

The role requires extensive practical experience and the team supervisor is expected to have developed significant knowledge and expertise within the area of art handling.

In addition, the team supervisor is expected to be able to contribute to any technical discussion including innovating on technical solutions. The team supervisor is also expected to instigate or accept leadership of some projects, referring to the senior technician for guidance where necessary.

'''Art Handler'''

The role of an art handler at The National Gallery covers all practical considerations within the area of art handling. This includes activity around the collection, any exhibition on site and the correct handling and preparation of any work of art within the confines of The National Gallery site. In addition, National Gallery art handlers frequently work as couriers for the gallery, representing all gallery concerns when loaning elements of the collection to our partners and allied institutions.

Art Handlers are expected to already have developed a strong knowledge of the principles of art handling before they join the team at the gallery. This will include extensive experience within the field and the acquiring of excellent practical skills associated with the work.

Art handling teams rely on strong communication and teamwork attributes and each National Gallery art handler is expected to be a willing team member, adaptable to the many different scenarios they may experience within the discipline.

Though art handlers do not ordinarily lead on projects, all team members are expected to be capable of innovation and independence of thought dedicated to the solution of a problem. Each art handler will normally be assigned a senior technician as their line manager and will be prepared to accept instructions from any member of the management team.

'''Administrator'''

The department administrator is a critical role that works closely with both the head of department and the senior technicians in all planning concerns regarding the activity of the team. The administrator is the main point of contact for all other gallery departments wishing to engage the art handling team or to share information.

The administrator will commonly make initial decisions on the viability of daily tasks of the team (for example the loans program) before working with the head to finalise the long-term schedule. They will act as support for each team project, working closely with a senior technician on all logistical matters to realise the goals of the department. All daily admin functions of the department fall within the remit of the administrator. This includes invoicing and budgeting, worksheet production, all external communication (including GDPR management) and the critical role of location recording and database management (from the perspective of art handling) of the collection.

The administrator is also the manager of the department’s wiki page, formulated to ensure the history and knowledge of the department is recorded and to promote high standards of practice within art handling.

'''Head of Department'''

The head of department takes responsibility for all aspects of the team’s performance. The main role of the head is to ensure the team performs its function within the principals and priorities as defined by the main mission of The National Gallery. This will include taking overall responsibility for all strategic and tactical concerns within the context of the department.

The head will have a strong working relationship with all members of the department, but this is particularly focused on the senior technicians and the department administrator.

The head will represent the department within the context of the management of the gallery including at external meetings or presentations. The department sits within the collection directorate and is considered an arm of preventative conservation, being closely associated with the gallery’s conservation department. The Head’s role in this area is to ensure the department functions within the principles of preventative conservation which should inform each part of the department’s activity.

The head works closely with the department administrator to plan both the daily and long-term work of the team. The head is also expected to have extensive experience and knowledge of all art handling areas and will on occasion lead or participate in significant activity.

The head will also innovate and promote improvements in all areas concerning the department. This may include equipment development, process design or team structure and requirements, both designing and implementing changes and improvements wherever necessary.

== A Day in the Life ... ==

As of writing, my time working behind the scenes in the art industry stands at approximately 7 years. During that time, I've had the privilege to explore a few distinct faces of the industry. The bulk of my experience lies in the private sector, having spent several years at art shipping / logistics companies. This experience saw me installing exhibitions at commercial galleries / art fairs, fabricating crates for shipping, and installing in private residences to name a few.

Working in the private sector can be incredibly fast paced, exciting and stressful. Often your own ingenuity and that of your colleagues is all you can rely on, as equipment and materials are often limited or lacking. As stimulating as that can be, it often left me feeling dissatisfied with the motivations of the individuals and companies I worked for.

The opportunity to work for a publicly funded institution like The National Gallery was something I couldn’t pass up.

Adapting to the processes and methods of the art handling department at The National Gallery required some un-learning and adjustment on my part. The department is well established and as a result has its own well-established idiosyncrasies. The department's equipment has been designed in-house and is unique to the Gallery. Equally so, the hardware art handling uses, has also been designed in-house by the various stalwarts of the department. Each new piece of equipment is designed or adapted out of necessity to solve a problem and is in a constant state of evolution and review to ensure it better fits its required use.

My colleagues and I are invited to engage in this conversation constantly which is flattering and refreshing. Before now I hadn’t worked in such a collegiate and collaborative environment.

Working at The National Gallery is almost the antithesis of my experience as a technician. The National Gallery is custodian to some 2,300 works and has been building its collection for nearly 200 years. Being a part of that, however small is incredibly humbling and I’m incredibly happy that I’ve found myself here.

Sam Hallett, Art Handler

== Profiles of Staff: Present and Past ==

 

[[File:AHTeamPortrait.jpg|500px|left]]

 

Team (current and former); left to right:
Simon Wallis, Dan Haddock, Sam Hallet, Alex Hinks,
 Mark Slattery, Patrick O'Sullivan, (seated back) Jamie Bell, Kasper Pincis, Tom Hemming
 (seated front) Alan Brooks, James Lindley, Danny Metcalf and Dave Morgan

'''Ray Butcher''' | Art Handler 1988 - 2012

The pathway into professional art handling in museums is often highly varied. Among the traits that are indispensable are an ability to use tools safely and effectively, and an understanding of the materials that are commonly used in the production of paintings, frames and mounts. With these essential abilities at Ray’s disposal, he was recruited onto the art handling team twelve months after joining the Gallery in 1987. He had just moved to London with his family from North Wales where he had been living and working. The drive to London was all the more dramatic due to the effects of the severe storm that hit the country the night before.

He was first hired as a room warder, guarding the paintings during opening times. He soon came to attention of Peter Brett, then Head art handler. Back then the technicians were known as the Working Party. Ray says, ‘Given my background working with tools and my hands all my working life, he gave me a trial picture handling’. Members of the Working Party were recruited from the corps of warders and were required to continue working as such when not engaged in art handling duties, particularly on Sundays. He continues, ‘It went well for me and I took to it like a duck to water. In short, I loved it’.

Ray had served a trade apprenticeship in auto repair and made a good living repairing car bodies. It is a complex area requiring multiple skills and abilities from welding to paint spraying. Whilst welding generally isn’t a requirement for handling the collection, an ability to solve technical and mechanical problems certainly is. Ray came up with a number of innovations which served the needs of the department and was always keen to build and adapt equipment as necessary.

Along with technical prowess, personal skills are another necessary trait. Art handlers are frequently deployed to sites elsewhere where they perform a variety of duties normally associated with care of our collection. Representing the gallery in a professional capacity is another responsibility we demand of our team. Ray’s character lent itself very well to this diverse role.

He says, ‘In those days the new occupants of number 10 and 11 Downing St, were able to borrow paintings from the Gallery’s secondary collection. These were normally chosen by the spouse of the Prime Minister or Chancellor. That in turn afforded me the opportunity of visiting number 10 twice and number 11 once to courier paintings back after a change of personnel’.

Ray’s time at the gallery dates from before the Sainsbury Wing opened. He was one of the founding members of the modern art handling department, when the gallery changed from recruiting from the security team and established art handling as a specialism. During his time on the team he became a supervisor, personally mentoring and training newly appointed staff.

Ray retired from the gallery in 2012 and moved away from the hustle and bustle of inner-city Earls Court to a quieter life by the Kent coast.

Mark Slattery, Senior Technician

File:AH Organisational Chart current.jpg

2022-06-29T10:15:50Z

Lmarlborough: Lmarlborough uploaded a new version of File:AH Organisational Chart current.jpg

Danny Metcalf

2022-06-29T10:01:14Z

Lmarlborough:

Link to wiki articles

[https://wiki.ng-london.org.uk/ah/History_of_the_Department History of the Department]

[https://wiki.ng-london.org.uk/ah/Silvermove Silver Moves]

Danny Metcalf

2022-06-29T10:00:31Z

Lmarlborough:

Profile page for Danny Metcalf

Link to wiki articles

[https://wiki.ng-london.org.uk/ah/History_of_the_Department History of the Department]

[https://wiki.ng-london.org.uk/ah/Silvermove Silver Moves]

Art Handling Manual

2022-06-10T15:32:06Z

Lmarlborough: /* Highlighted Project */

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department exists to provide the necessary technical support to the display of this major collection. We work closely with all the gallery’s departments but have a particularly strong relationship with conservation, curatorial, collections registrars, exhibitions, framing and imaging. Our role is to help realise the goals of the gallery by taking responsibility for all aspects of installation, transportation, preparation, storage and manual handling of the collection at the gallery.

In carrying out our work, our remit is to follow the highest standard of care for the collection. As a principal, the department is considered as an arm of conservation and our activity is informed by all current conservation recommendations. Our primary aim is to successfully carry out our tasks by first fully considering the reduction or elimination of risk to the objects in our care.

To organise our work, we have created a system of classification. This has allowed us to develop processes and procedures that can be measured and assessed. As part of this approach, we have also developed our own specialised equipment and hanging systems unique to The National Gallery. Within the department, we continue to look to improve our methods and take a keen interest in the work of other teams within our field, with the intention of informing our own ideas.

We also feel it is our responsibility to promote the work of art handling outside of our environment. This includes cultivating contacts within the area by exchanging ideas and developing training opportunities that we can both participate in and deliver.

The art handling department occupies a significant, practical role within the life of The National Gallery. By developing and promoting an environment of care and innovation within our discipline, we aim to ensure the conservation and preservation of the national’s collection, allowing it to continue to be enjoyed as intended.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

== Highlighted Project ==

Installation of NG564 The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Scenes of the Nativity and the Lives
 of the Saints by Margarito dArezzo

[[File:Margarito_dArezzo.mp4|600px|left]]

 

== [[The Team|The Team]] ==
This opening category include history of the department, current job descriptions, organisation chart and then profile of staff; past and present

== [[The Collection|The Collection]] ==
This category describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated / bespoke examples (NG6337 Leonardo Cartoon) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== [[Exhibitions|Exhibitions]] ==

== [[Administration Processes|Administration Processes]] ==
This category describes; the way we receive requests, the art handling calendar, forward plan, TMS, loans, exhibitions, salvage committee and GDPR.

== [[Health and Safety|Health and Safety]] ==
This category deals with the relevant legislation applying to the Department, examples of documentation such as risk assessments and our training responsibilities. The chapter also gives a summary of the changes in our working practices as a direct result of Health and Safety Legislation.

== [[Business Continuity and Salvage|Business Continuity and Salvage]] ==
This category will include our role as a department, our training programs equipment etc. possible include some action examples (water ingress)

Art Handling Manual

2022-06-10T15:30:53Z

Lmarlborough: /* Highlighted Project */

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department exists to provide the necessary technical support to the display of this major collection. We work closely with all the gallery’s departments but have a particularly strong relationship with conservation, curatorial, collections registrars, exhibitions, framing and imaging. Our role is to help realise the goals of the gallery by taking responsibility for all aspects of installation, transportation, preparation, storage and manual handling of the collection at the gallery.

In carrying out our work, our remit is to follow the highest standard of care for the collection. As a principal, the department is considered as an arm of conservation and our activity is informed by all current conservation recommendations. Our primary aim is to successfully carry out our tasks by first fully considering the reduction or elimination of risk to the objects in our care.

To organise our work, we have created a system of classification. This has allowed us to develop processes and procedures that can be measured and assessed. As part of this approach, we have also developed our own specialised equipment and hanging systems unique to The National Gallery. Within the department, we continue to look to improve our methods and take a keen interest in the work of other teams within our field, with the intention of informing our own ideas.

We also feel it is our responsibility to promote the work of art handling outside of our environment. This includes cultivating contacts within the area by exchanging ideas and developing training opportunities that we can both participate in and deliver.

The art handling department occupies a significant, practical role within the life of The National Gallery. By developing and promoting an environment of care and innovation within our discipline, we aim to ensure the conservation and preservation of the national’s collection, allowing it to continue to be enjoyed as intended.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

== Highlighted Project ==

Installation of NG564 The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Scenes of the Nativity and the Lives of the Saints by Margarito dArezzo

[[File:Margarito_dArezzo.mp4|600px|left]]

 

== [[The Team|The Team]] ==
This opening category include history of the department, current job descriptions, organisation chart and then profile of staff; past and present

== [[The Collection|The Collection]] ==
This category describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated / bespoke examples (NG6337 Leonardo Cartoon) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== [[Exhibitions|Exhibitions]] ==

== [[Administration Processes|Administration Processes]] ==
This category describes; the way we receive requests, the art handling calendar, forward plan, TMS, loans, exhibitions, salvage committee and GDPR.

== [[Health and Safety|Health and Safety]] ==
This category deals with the relevant legislation applying to the Department, examples of documentation such as risk assessments and our training responsibilities. The chapter also gives a summary of the changes in our working practices as a direct result of Health and Safety Legislation.

== [[Business Continuity and Salvage|Business Continuity and Salvage]] ==
This category will include our role as a department, our training programs equipment etc. possible include some action examples (water ingress)

Art Handling Manual

2022-06-10T15:29:50Z

Lmarlborough: /* Highlighted Project */

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department exists to provide the necessary technical support to the display of this major collection. We work closely with all the gallery’s departments but have a particularly strong relationship with conservation, curatorial, collections registrars, exhibitions, framing and imaging. Our role is to help realise the goals of the gallery by taking responsibility for all aspects of installation, transportation, preparation, storage and manual handling of the collection at the gallery.

In carrying out our work, our remit is to follow the highest standard of care for the collection. As a principal, the department is considered as an arm of conservation and our activity is informed by all current conservation recommendations. Our primary aim is to successfully carry out our tasks by first fully considering the reduction or elimination of risk to the objects in our care.

To organise our work, we have created a system of classification. This has allowed us to develop processes and procedures that can be measured and assessed. As part of this approach, we have also developed our own specialised equipment and hanging systems unique to The National Gallery. Within the department, we continue to look to improve our methods and take a keen interest in the work of other teams within our field, with the intention of informing our own ideas.

We also feel it is our responsibility to promote the work of art handling outside of our environment. This includes cultivating contacts within the area by exchanging ideas and developing training opportunities that we can both participate in and deliver.

The art handling department occupies a significant, practical role within the life of The National Gallery. By developing and promoting an environment of care and innovation within our discipline, we aim to ensure the conservation and preservation of the national’s collection, allowing it to continue to be enjoyed as intended.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

== Highlighted Project ==

Installation of NG3908 Bathers at Asnières by Georges Seurat

[[File:Margarito_dArezzo.mp4|600px|left]]

 

== [[The Team|The Team]] ==
This opening category include history of the department, current job descriptions, organisation chart and then profile of staff; past and present

== [[The Collection|The Collection]] ==
This category describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated / bespoke examples (NG6337 Leonardo Cartoon) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== [[Exhibitions|Exhibitions]] ==

== [[Administration Processes|Administration Processes]] ==
This category describes; the way we receive requests, the art handling calendar, forward plan, TMS, loans, exhibitions, salvage committee and GDPR.

== [[Health and Safety|Health and Safety]] ==
This category deals with the relevant legislation applying to the Department, examples of documentation such as risk assessments and our training responsibilities. The chapter also gives a summary of the changes in our working practices as a direct result of Health and Safety Legislation.

== [[Business Continuity and Salvage|Business Continuity and Salvage]] ==
This category will include our role as a department, our training programs equipment etc. possible include some action examples (water ingress)

File:Margarito dArezzo.mp4

2022-06-10T15:29:28Z

Lmarlborough:

Exhibitions

2022-03-30T17:14:05Z

Lmarlborough:

[[File:Sacred_Made_Real.jpg|500px|left]]

 

Installation of the crucifix by Juan Martinez Montanes as part of the "The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture 1600–1700" exhibition in the Sainsbury Wing, 2009.

© Photo The National Gallery, London / courtesy of Iglesia Conventual del Santo Ángel, Carmelitas Descalzos, Seville

The art handling department at The National Gallery is responsible for all technical and handling issues concerning the installation and de-installation of all the gallery’s temporary exhibitions.
On average, the gallery displays around nine exhibitions a year. These vary in complexity from large, multi-object themed shows to small subject-specific installations of just a few objects. The gallery’s exhibition department is responsible for the overall project management and delivery of each exhibition and we work closely with them to help realise the project.

When a show is formulated, we assign one of our senior technicians as part of the project team and they become responsible for all art handling issues concerning the exhibition. Our senior technician will then assign one of our team supervisors as their deputy on the project and both will be part of the lead-in planning for the show, providing the exhibition department with the necessary technical support.

For the installation, our senior technician will work with me as the head of department to co-ordinate the team's resources between the show and the ongoing work we are responsible for, regarding the main collection.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

Art Handling Manual

2022-03-30T17:13:52Z

Lmarlborough: /* Introduction */

== Introduction ==

The National Gallery’s art handling department exists to provide the necessary technical support to the display of this major collection. We work closely with all the gallery’s departments but have a particularly strong relationship with conservation, curatorial, collections registrars, exhibitions, framing and imaging. Our role is to help realise the goals of the gallery by taking responsibility for all aspects of installation, transportation, preparation, storage and manual handling of the collection at the gallery.

In carrying out our work, our remit is to follow the highest standard of care for the collection. As a principal, the department is considered as an arm of conservation and our activity is informed by all current conservation recommendations. Our primary aim is to successfully carry out our tasks by first fully considering the reduction or elimination of risk to the objects in our care.

To organise our work, we have created a system of classification. This has allowed us to develop processes and procedures that can be measured and assessed. As part of this approach, we have also developed our own specialised equipment and hanging systems unique to The National Gallery. Within the department, we continue to look to improve our methods and take a keen interest in the work of other teams within our field, with the intention of informing our own ideas.

We also feel it is our responsibility to promote the work of art handling outside of our environment. This includes cultivating contacts within the area by exchanging ideas and developing training opportunities that we can both participate in and deliver.

The art handling department occupies a significant, practical role within the life of The National Gallery. By developing and promoting an environment of care and innovation within our discipline, we aim to ensure the conservation and preservation of the national’s collection, allowing it to continue to be enjoyed as intended.

Patrick O’Sullivan, Head of Art Handling

== Highlighted Project ==

Installation of NG3908 Bathers at Asnières by Georges Seurat

[[File:Seurat AH V1.mp4|600px|left]]

 

== [[The Team|The Team]] ==
This opening category include history of the department, current job descriptions, organisation chart and then profile of staff; past and present

== [[The Collection|The Collection]] ==
This category describes the colour category system. This followed by description of each category including equipment associated with it and how to use it. Then complicated / bespoke examples (NG6337 Leonardo Cartoon) and finally how to prepare the collection for loan. This will include all the casing stuff plus a description of the relationship with KSL.

== [[Exhibitions|Exhibitions]] ==

== [[Administration Processes|Administration Processes]] ==
This category describes; the way we receive requests, the art handling calendar, forward plan, TMS, loans, exhibitions, salvage committee and GDPR.

== [[Health and Safety|Health and Safety]] ==
This category deals with the relevant legislation applying to the Department, examples of documentation such as risk assessments and our training responsibilities. The chapter also gives a summary of the changes in our working practices as a direct result of Health and Safety Legislation.

== [[Business Continuity and Salvage|Business Continuity and Salvage]] ==
This category will include our role as a department, our training programs equipment etc. possible include some action examples (water ingress)