Help! I have a giant painting trapped in my house!

[steamedxmaspudding]

This will out me to anyone who knows me but...

I have a giant oil painting upstairs in my house (about 2m square) which I have to move as we're having some building work done in a couple of weeks. Only problem is, it won't fit down the stairs! Or into any of the other rooms on that floor. What the hell do I do? I love it and really don't want to damage it. I have been in touch with various art conservators/reframers etc but none of them have been able to help or even offer any advice.

Current plan is to take it off the frame (it's not framed under glass, just canvas stretched over wood) and then just bend it a little bit to get it downstairs but I'm really worried about the paint cracking 😫

Any ideas gratefully received!

I bought it from the local auction house, but I was bidding online and I didn't look at the measurements properly 😂I know it's not to everyone's taste but I love it!

My dad also loved it (and had it in his house for a while) and said he wanted first dibs on it if I ever got rid of it - sadly he died a couple of years ago but it means the painting has that sentimental association for me now as well.

You could try luring the painting out with some fresh bamboo and a lot of imagination...

Thank you, this is what I was imagining I might have to try

Such a good idea…

If you're having major building works done then removing the bannister and replacing it again afterwards won't add much to the mayhem. No-brainer.

Alternatively hire a cherry picker and take it out of the window if the window's big enough. A handy person will be able to remove a sash if required, or take out an opening window.

Definitely don’t do this (I am a guild qualified framer). You need advice from a fine art conservationist, and many framers are experienced in this. You could contact a local framer, and ask them to come and assess it. I am not a qualified fine art conservationist but I know what not to do, and I wouldn’t touch this job as a qualified framer if you rolled it as it could cause damage not immediately visible.

@PirateJim makes sense if you are confident enough to do it yourself. I would be reluctant to DIY it if it’s so old and means so much to you. I fubard my first canvas and intentionally used a Temu canvas in case I made a mistake. Not massively so but I can see the mistake (although others say they can’t) and it ruins the picture for me.

This is what happened to us with a sofa - when it was delivered, the downstairs flat was having work done and there was a hole in the wall, allowing it to be turned and manoeuvred up the stairs. Absolutely impossible to shift it when we moved. Had to lower it out of the window.

Also of course a scenario in Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, but that involved time travel.

Genius!

Dirk Gently was the first think that came to my mind too!

I am very impressed with taking a piano through a window! We had to lift our up steps and that was like something out of the Two Ronnies!

In your shoes I would have a carpenter make a frame box from ply to cover the entire painting and add in some of those granule dehumidifiers. Seal the box and then wrap in it in thick pvc and duct tape to make it water tight. Tell your work men to work around it.

You know, sometimes I think "meh had enough of MN" and then you get a thread like this and I'm sucked back in. Just shamelessly place-marker as I'm hoping for ongoing updates including the actual move.

I do think your only option is to take it out of the frame. The canvas will be stretched and it may be possible to roll it very temporarily even if only to get it down the stairs. Is there anywhere you can get advice as to how best to do this, or to get a professional in to do it - may be worth it if you can afford it, as you obviously love the painting. Local gallery for advice, or even google to see if there are any local framing specialists who may be able to offer advice.

Couple of links that might be helpful;

https://www.carolineburdett.com/blog/how-to-disassemble-a-stretched-canvas-for-shipping-or-storage

https://www.thegrumble.com/threads/stretcher-bars-and-removing-canvas-for-storage.74169/

While some of you are getting images of Ross and "PIVOT!!!!",

I'm getting really strong vibes of this:
s

Just showing my age

But OP has already said it needs to be taken downstairs as it won’t fit back on the wall when the work is done.

Can you drop it between the banisters? I've seen that done in a modern 3 storey townhouse with a headboard

And a fold up, portable door IIRC.

If you can walk it out the room then surely it could be on the wall of another room temporarily. You could even suspend it from the ceiling of another room surely?

I’d love to see a picture of it

I believe it was specialist piano movers!

You live in my house, OP!

Like a mirror image.

There's a photo of part of it on page 2.

Some thoughts.

I'd assume that involving art experts and framers would cost considerably more and have more element of risk to the painting than using the skills of builders who are already working on site.

I'd protect, wrap and seal it as previous posters have advised. I think it's wise to do that come what may.

Depending on the exact dimensions and the bits of the staircases that we can't see I'd ask for the easiest and cheapest solution from

making slings to suspend the whole package close to the ceiling going across the rising stairs, subject to the planned works and headroom on the staircase

removing the door we can see, or any other that's more appropriate, enlarging the entrance and then reinstating it once the other works were done and the painting was back in situ

removing the bannisters as the first ideas

PIVOT

The wall it is on will not be there any more. It has to go downstairs.