Art storage in Brescia. Discreet, documented safekeeping.
We keep works of art and valuables in dedicated, armoured storage. Every arrival and every release is recorded, and the works stay closed in their crates.
Which document mistakes stop goods?
Incomplete documents, or documents that do not match
An invoice missing the required details, a packing list that does not match the packages, a consignee written in two different ways: these are the most common causes of a customs hold. That is why we ask for the documents before departure and compare them with each other, rather than discovering the mistake at the checkpoint.
A destination never verified
We sometimes receive delivery addresses that nobody has checked and that, on verification, turn out to be incomplete or non-existent. The goods then stop. Before shipping we verify that the consignee and address exist and are consistent with the documents.
Answers to the most common questions.
Who can place a work in storage with you?
Collectors, galleries, auction houses, artists, companies and private individuals, including heirs who need to decide what to do with a collection. You do not have to be an existing transport client. Tell us what you would like to store and why, and one of our team will explain how we take the work in, record it and return it.
Do works have to arrive already packed?
Preferably, because in storage the works stay closed in their crates or packing. If they are not packed, we can see to it: we are packers too, and prepare bespoke packing and wooden crates. We can do this when we collect from you, so the work travels protected and goes into storage ready.
How do I collect a work or ask for it to be delivered?
Just let your contact know. A work leaves only on your instruction and is handed only to the person you have named. If you prefer, we arrange delivery to a home, a gallery, a fair or an event, in Italy or abroad. Every release is recorded with the date, the destination and the name of the person receiving it.
Are works insured while they are in storage?
Cover is agreed case by case. For the works we transport we offer All Risks nail-to-nail insurance, which follows the work along the declared route: if a stay in storage is planned, it has to be stated from the start. If you already have your own policy, it is wise to tell your insurer where the work will be kept.
Can you collect the works and bring them into storage?
Yes. We collect from homes, galleries, auction houses and exhibition venues, by dedicated transport or groupage and, where needed, with white-glove service. If the works lack suitable packing, we prepare it before the journey. On arrival they are recorded and go into storage; the same contact then looks after later releases and deliveries.
Where does a work stay when it is not on show?
A safe place for works that are waiting
Not every work is always hanging on a wall. Some are waiting for a sale, others for an exhibition, others for a family decision. In the meantime they need a suitable place, which is not a cellar, an office or the back room of a gallery. Dalè Silvio, a freight forwarder in Brescia since 1956, keeps works of art and valuables in dedicated, armoured storage. We have worked with art for many years and know the care it needs even when it is not moving.
Collectors and private owners
Collectors do not always have room for everything, and do not always want to keep their most valuable pieces at home. Storage helps during a house move or a renovation, during a long absence, or when you buy a work and the house is not yet ready for it. It also suits anyone buying away from home who would rather have the work arrive somewhere secure first, then decide calmly where it should go. We look after private owners just as we do companies: the same contact, the same records, the same care.
Galleries and auction houses
A gallery owns more works than it can show, and its own storeroom soon fills up. Leaving the works that are not on display with us frees up space and keeps them ready to go out to a client, a fair or an event. For auction houses, storage is useful before and after the sale: consigned lots wait for the auction date, and sold lots wait to be collected or shipped to the buyer. When a work needs to move, we arrange collection and delivery, by dedicated transport or groupage.
Heirs and estates
When a collection is inherited, or even just a few pictures and some antique furniture, decisions take time: a valuation, the division among the heirs, the choice between selling and keeping. Meanwhile the house may have to be cleared. We collect the works, pack them where necessary and keep them until the family has decided. Each piece comes in with its own record, so it is always clear what is in storage and who entrusted it to us. Once the decision is made, we deliver to each recipient, in Italy or abroad.
Between one exhibition and the next
A work coming back from one exhibition and leaving for another has no reason to return to its owner each time. It can stay with us, in the crate it travelled in, and leave again when required. The same goes for works bound for a fair: they arrive ahead of time, remain in safekeeping and are delivered to the stand on the agreed day. Afterwards we collect them and take them back into storage or to the owner. Fewer journeys mean less handling, and every handling avoided is one risk fewer.
Arrivals and releases on record
Every work that comes in is recorded: what it is, which package it is in, who entrusted it to us and on what date. On release we record the date, the destination and the person collecting or receiving it in the same way. We hand over only to the people you have named. You can ask us at any time for the list of what you have in storage. This written trail is useful to you and to the insurer and, in estates or sales, it shows where the work was and for how long.
Works stay in their crates
In storage, works stay closed in their crates or packing. We do not open them, move them without reason or put them on display. A made-to-measure crate protects the work on the road and goes on protecting it while it is at rest. If a work reaches us without adequate packing, we tell you and suggest a solution: we are packers too, and prepare bespoke packing and wooden crates. If a work has to go out for a valuation or to be shown to a buyer, we arrange the trip out and back, recorded as always.
Confidentiality
People who entrust a work to us often prefer not to disclose that they own it, what it is worth or where it is. We treat that as part of the service. We do not share clients' names with anyone, nor what we hold for them. Details of the works are known only to the people handling the file. For the same reason this page does not describe the premises or the security measures: we discuss them in person, with those who have a real requirement.
Common mistakes before putting a work into storage
The most common is bringing in works wrapped in blankets or cardboard, on the assumption that nothing can happen to them while they are still: coming in and going out are handling too. The second is handing over an incomplete list, without dimensions or a description that identifies each piece. The third is not saying who may collect: with estates and companies it is best to set this down in writing from the start. Lastly, insurance: if the work travels under All Risks nail-to-nail cover, the stay in storage has to be declared along with the route. Tell us at the outset and we will set it up correctly.
