Special equipment from Heavydrive is employed in museums throughout the world

 

Safe transport and assembly of works of art

The transport and assembly of works of art are extremely delicate operations. Works of art are often made of fragile materials, have awkward formats and usually have to be transported in cramped indoor spaces with delicate floors. This requires either a colossal amount of manpower or special transport and lifting machines. The Bavarian assembly company Heavydrive has specialised in transporting and assembling works of art in museums around the world for many years.

 

Special equipment for delicate goods

Heavydrive offers assembly lifts, vacuum suction systems, mini-cranes and useful assembly aids for hire and for sale. These systems offer the advantage of a compact design, meaning that valuable items can be transported in lifts, through narrow passages in museum buildings or past other works of art safely. The non-marking tracks of the mini-cranes, assembly equipment and lifts do not leave any marks as they move across surfaces and are therefore suitable for use on even delicate indoor floors. In addition, the assembly and transport aids run on electric drives and are therefore emission-free.

All Heavydrive units are designed to be easily controlled by just one operator via remote control. System operation is simple and intuitive. Instructions are given by an expert in person on-site or via video call. It is also possible to book a Heavydrive operator to do the work. In-depth advice is provided as part of the service as early as the planning phase. "To ensure smooth transport and assembly operations, it is essential to go through all the dimensions and specific circumstances with the customer. This allows us to factor in ground conditions, access roads, and the like and to select the correct assembly tools", explains Günter Übelacker, Managing Director of Heavydrive. Which is why the company offers the best assembly solution for every project and is prepared for all eventualities on site.

 

Servicing museums around the world

The possible applications of Heavydrive's special equipment in the art sector are wide and varied - from glazing to installation. At the Craiova Art Museum (Romania) in 2021, the company installed the Brâncuși Pavilion, a work of art by Romanian architect Dorin Ștefan. The pavilion consists of large glass panes in various special arrangements, mounted horizontally and vertically. The beholder rides in a circular glass lift from the ground floor up into the work of art above. To install the panes, weighing up to 4,000 kilograms, Heavydrive developed a special suction system featuring spacers.

Heavydrive suction system installs the Brâncuși Pavilion by Dorin Stefan at Craiova Art Museum (Romania)
Heavydrive suction system installs the Brâncuși Pavilion by Dorin Stefan at Craiova Art Museum (Romania)
Image rights: Heavydrive.com
Dismantling of glass showcases in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich using Heavydrive assembly lift and suction system
Dismantling of glass showcases in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich using Heavydrive assembly lift and suction system
Image rights: Heavydrive.com

The glass assembly devices are ideally suited for handling the glazing around works of art.  At the 2019 exhibition "Florence and its painters: From Giotto to Leonardo da Vinci" at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich, the Heavydrive team dismantled the glass showcases of two works from the 15th century using an assembly lift and a suction system. The suction systems suction off the glass blocks from two sides at the same time. This allowed the showcase to be safely lifted over the "Titus Livius. De bello macedonico" manuscript from 1470 and the "Mary with Child" statue by Fra' Filippo Lippi from 1465.

At the Brandhorst Museum in Munich in 2014, Heavydrive handled the installation of the protective screens for the photographic murals at the "Richard Avedon. Murals and Portraits" exhibition. The panes, measuring up to 2.6 by 3.3 metres, were laid over U-rails bolted to the floor. Using a mini-crane and a glass transporter, just one operator transported the panes through the museum and placed them in the rails to a perfect fit. By way of comparison: In a previous exhibition in New York, it took ten men to set the large and heavy protective panes.

Heavydrive also offers customised solutions for the transport of awkward, large or heavy works of art in confined conditions. For the Rudolf Bott, PLUS QUAM... exhibition at Galerie Zink in Waldkirchen, the Heavydrive team transported a 400 kilogram wooden table and a 1,000 kilogram steel table over an indoor balcony almost four and a half metres high. To protect the delicate flooring, the Heavydrive team laid several oriented strand boards. The works of art were attached to the assembly jib of the crane via a counterweight beam. A single operator guided the object by remote control to a height of 5.5 metres.

Also in 2021, the "Phyllida Barlow frontier" exhibition was installed at the Haus der Kunst in Munich using the Heavydrive assembly crane. The compact mini-crane transported the British artist's sculptured shapes made of wood, cardboard, cement, clay, plastic pipes and textiles into the exhibition rooms and set them in position.

 

Safe transport of delicate works of art

Heavydrive also ensures the safe packing and transport of works of art all over the world. "We have years of experience with international projects. Consequently, we have a sophisticated logistics system and guarantee worldwide delivery within 24 hours", says Günter Übelacker. Heavydrive also ensures the items are safely packed and looks after all freight and customs documents. Via GPS real-time tracking, employees always have an eye on the freight in transit.

Back in 2008, the company transported two works of art made of steel and glass for the exhibition of installation artist Carsten Höller at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The largest element had a diameter of 3.2 metres. Heavydrive developed special racks for the works to be transported by sea. This is because special equipment was required to load the items into the freight container. As a result the "Revolving Hotel Room" and "Krutikow's Flying City Revolving" made it to New York safely and on time.

Transporting Rudolf Bott's 1,000 kg steel table over the 4.4 metre high balcony parapet
Transporting Rudolf Bott's 1,000 kg steel table over the 4.4 metre high balcony parapet
Image rights: Heavydrive.com

Go back

Similar news

Currently there are no news items.