Ricerc@Sapienza

The logistics services offered to museums, galleries, auction houses, artists and private collectors generally have poor visibility, but the entire system of the art market depends more and more on these, especially those offered by specialized logistics service providers (LSPs). That is so much true that the Sotheby's Institute of Art in 2019 launched a new master in "Art Logistics". In addition to transport in the strict sense, the service providers specialized in art logistics manage the most delicate and critical activities for the protection of the works, packaging, customs procedures in case of export, installation in private or public places, and several other activities. The aim of the research is then to investigate: what are the characteristics of LSPs offering specialized solutions for art (RQ1), and what are the specialized solutions currently offered in fine art market by LSPs (RQ2). LSPs specialized for art services were identified and solutions for the movement of fine art were collected from the main LSPs on the field. The data were analysed through a qualitative content analysis, and classified in an original framework. This study may be of particular interest to both academics and professionals in logistics and supply chain networks serving fine art markets.