Care of Fine Art

1. CLIMATE: Maintain a stable climate. A room temperature of 70 degrees and a humidity of 50% are ideal. If a room is too dry and cold, paintings may become brittle. If the humidity is high, paintings will probably become marred by mildew.

2. PAINTINGS: First and foremost, always make sure your painting is framed with materials that will not damage the piece, thus decreasing its value. Never hang paintings near radiators or any source of heat. Try to avoid cold outside walls. If you do hang art over a fireplace check it frequently for soil or changes in appearance. Also check periodically for signs of insect infestation. Hanging fine art in a kitchen or bathroom is not recommended. Steam, grease and acid deposits will soon form a gummy film on your pictures. If you plan to be away for several weeks, arrange to have your home aired regularly to prevent dampness.

3. LIGHT: Strong, direct sunlight can leech the pigment from the canvas. To protect your paintings, place them where they won't be exposed to strong morning or afternoon sun. Fluorescent light without a filter and incandescent light will fade colors. The least harmful way to illuminate your art is with a spotlight mounted three to four feet from the piece. Lamps can be used throughout the room, if the bulbs are shaded and do not shine directly on the art. You should rotate paintings to give them a "rest", so they can recover from exposure to light.

4. SAFE WALL HANG-UPS: Incline paintings a few degrees from the top, and use little wedges at the lower corners to push the frame out from the wall. This will give the piece room to breathe and keep dampness and dust from collecting between the painting and the wall. Check wires and screw eyes periodically to be sure they are strong and intact.

5. CLEANING & REPAIRING should be done by a professional restorer or conservator. You should, however, mend a tear with masking tape until you can have the damaged assessed and repaired bye a professional. Otherwise the canvas will probably curl, causing the layers of paint to crack. Before applying tape, join frayed fibers at the back of the canvas as smoothly and evenly as possible.
If a painting becomes soaked with water, keep it damp until a restorer can dry it properly. You may be able to clean or repair less valuable oils and acrylic paintings. Surface dirt and grease can be washed from a painting by applying a small amount of lukewarm water and a mild soap with soft brush. Make a few trial strokes in the corner before progressing carefully to the center. Use extreme caution on mixed media paintings.
Unlike furniture, paintings do not need daily or even weekly dusting. Once a month or so, depending on the amount of dirt in the room, dust the surface of a painting with a soft camel's or raccoon's hair brush. A cloth can catch on little flecks of paint and chip them off the surface. Don't touch the surface if there is any sign of flaking paint. Be careful not to break any ridges of paint with pressure.

6. TRANSPORTING PAINTINGS: Never carry a painting by the frame. Support it on two opposite sides. Use corrugated cardboard and blankets as buffers.

7. STORAGE: Only store in a cool, dry area, in an upright position. Check occasionally for signs of mold and or insect infestation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEE "BETTER HOMES & GARDENS" VOL 57 NO 11