GAC moves 3.5 ton sculpture from Poland to New York
THERE's a unique piece of artwork - Van Gogh's Ear in the shape of a 1950s' swimming pool - on display in Manhattan delivered from Poland under great stress if not duress by the Dubai forwarder GAC.
"Van Gogh's Ear, a sculpture by Scandinavian artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, is now standing in pride of place outside the Fifth Avenue entrance to the Rockefeller Centre," said the GAC press release.
"It's hard to miss, as it takes the form of a 10 metre high 1950s'-style swimming pool in the shape of an ear, as a reference to the rumour that Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh cut off his own lobe in 1888," it said.
It's there as part of an exhibition organised by the New York Public Art Fund.
As GAC UK's Dominic Watson explains, it took the skills of some logistics masters to get the 3,500 kilogramme sculpture from the factory where it was created in Poland to Manhattan.
"Masterpiece International, the art shippers, having worked with GAC on transporting smaller pieces before, approached us with this opportunity late last year," he said.
"I was confident that we had what it would take to deliver this unique work of art due to our experience in handling highly valuable and delicate items for various events and projects," Mr Watson said.
Plans were drawn up to load the sculpture onto a low loader truck for the road trip to the German port of Bremerhaven, where it would be loaded onto a ro-ro ship heading for New York City.
Special permits were also arranged which covered the schedule for night-time movement and a police escort. Time was tight, as there was only one ship sailing out of Bremerhaven that would arrive in New York by the deadline, but it would be enough - just.
But when it became clear that Van Gogh's Ear would not be ready, the shipment was redirected to Zeebrugge to meet the same vessel when it arrived at the Belgian port three days after leaving Bremerhaven.
Restrictions still applied, with the loaded truck only allowed to crawl the 1,300 kilometres between the hours of 10pm and 6am, and an unplanned road closure meant it had to take a major diversion. It arrived in Belgium just one day before the deadline.
Meanwhile, plans were drawn up to fly the finishing touches of the artwork - steps, diving board and unique paint - to New York, to wait in Manhattan when the main superstructure arrived on a truck from the port.
THERE's a unique piece of artwork - Van Gogh's Ear in the shape of a 1950s' swimming pool - on display in Manhattan delivered from Poland under great stress if not duress by the Dubai forwarder GAC.
"Van Gogh's Ear, a sculpture by Scandinavian artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, is now standing in pride of place outside the Fifth Avenue entrance to the Rockefeller Centre," said the GAC press release.
"It's hard to miss, as it takes the form of a 10 metre high 1950s'-style swimming pool in the shape of an ear, as a reference to the rumour that Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh cut off his own lobe in 1888," it said.
It's there as part of an exhibition organised by the New York Public Art Fund.
As GAC UK's Dominic Watson explains, it took the skills of some logistics masters to get the 3,500 kilogramme sculpture from the factory where it was created in Poland to Manhattan.
"Masterpiece International, the art shippers, having worked with GAC on transporting smaller pieces before, approached us with this opportunity late last year," he said.
"I was confident that we had what it would take to deliver this unique work of art due to our experience in handling highly valuable and delicate items for various events and projects," Mr Watson said.
Plans were drawn up to load the sculpture onto a low loader truck for the road trip to the German port of Bremerhaven, where it would be loaded onto a ro-ro ship heading for New York City.
Special permits were also arranged which covered the schedule for night-time movement and a police escort. Time was tight, as there was only one ship sailing out of Bremerhaven that would arrive in New York by the deadline, but it would be enough - just.
But when it became clear that Van Gogh's Ear would not be ready, the shipment was redirected to Zeebrugge to meet the same vessel when it arrived at the Belgian port three days after leaving Bremerhaven.
Restrictions still applied, with the loaded truck only allowed to crawl the 1,300 kilometres between the hours of 10pm and 6am, and an unplanned road closure meant it had to take a major diversion. It arrived in Belgium just one day before the deadline.
Meanwhile, plans were drawn up to fly the finishing touches of the artwork - steps, diving board and unique paint - to New York, to wait in Manhattan when the main superstructure arrived on a truck from the port.