When Your Park West Art Arrives: The First Hour Matters

Short on time?

Watch the short version

Kat walks through the key point. English captions are available in the player.

Made with Kat’s AI twin.

Weeks after the auction, a large box arrives at your door. What you do in the first hour matters more than most collectors realize. Park West’s own terms give you a short window to report a problem, and they ask you to keep something most people throw away the same day.

What the invoice says

The terms printed on Park West invoices include three points about delivery:

• “Allow up to 12 weeks for delivery. Portraits, sculpture, commissioned artwork, and special orders take longer.”
• Ten days to report problems. “You must provide us with written notice within ten (10) days after your receipt of the artwork of any damage or packing irregularities or any other claims regarding your artwork.”
• Keep the box. “In the event of a claim, you must also save intact the container that was used to ship the item(s). Failure to comply with the foregoing shall constitute your waiver of any claim of damage to artwork or framing.”

Before you open it

1. Photograph the box as delivered, all sides, before you cut anything. Get any dents, punctures, crushed corners or water marks close up.
2. Note it on the delivery receipt if the carrier is still there and the box is visibly damaged.
3. Open it where you have room, on a clean, padded surface, with a second person for anything large or framed under glass.

Unpacking and inspecting

1. Cut carefully and shallowly. A deep blade can scratch a frame or tear a canvas.
2. Keep all the packing material together, inside the original box.
3. Check the frame: corners, joints, chips in gilding, and the hanging hardware on the back.
4. Check the glazing: cracks, and loose glass or acrylic. Look for anything rattling inside the frame.
5. Check the artwork: creases, dents, scuffs, and anything stuck to the glass. On sculptural or embellished pieces, check for loose or missing elements.
6. Check that it’s the right piece. Compare the title, artist, size and edition number on the piece with your invoice and certificate.
7. Photograph everything, including the signature and edition number, whether or not you find a problem. Those photos become part of your insurance record. See how to photograph your collection.

If something is wrong

1. Write to Park West the same day, by email so there’s a dated record. Include your invoice number, the piece, what’s wrong, and photos of the damage and the box.
2. Keep the box and all packing exactly as they are.
3. Don’t try to repair the piece or have it reframed before the claim is settled.
4. Save every reply, and note the names of the people you speak to and the dates.

If everything is fine

• Add the photos to your records with the invoice and certificate.
• Tell your insurer if the piece is valuable enough to schedule. See organizing appraisals for your insurer.
• Keep the box for a while anyway if you have the space. Good art boxes are hard to find when you need to ship a piece later.
• Hang it safely. See caring for framed art at home.

In Park West Collectors, you can add your arrival photos to the piece itself, next to its certificate, appraisal and invoice.

Your Art Vault is an independent platform operated by Kerja Group LLC, written by collectors for collectors. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Park West Gallery. Park West documents shown are from our own collection, with personal details removed, and are reproduced for explanation only. This article is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice.