The Art of Caring For Art

The Art of caring for art is an essential aspect of collecting artworks. At the heart of any art is its eternal beauty and timelessness. That beauty is only as durable as the media it is created in and from.

Bronze and Granite, perhaps the most durable materials still require care. They can be damaged or destroyed if not properly maintained. For most collectors the concern will involve canvas paintings and prints.

Be aware that artist will use various and numerous different materials for painting on. Ask the gallery or artist what care is required for the material the work is created out of. If they say it needs no care or don’t know, steer clear of that work.

Caring for Art...Print Art

Prints on paper are particularly venerable.

They will come in an acid free sleeve. This is more than just a shipping container. It is your insurance if you should have to store the art for a future day. Also it is safe should it need to be shipped and it would be risky to send the art in its frame and glass. If it will be shipped where it will be exposed to high humidity is yet another reason to keep the envelope.

Handling

It is best to use white acid free cotton gloves to handle the print. The oils in human skin are either slightly acid or base. Both are detrimental to the paper the print is made of. They are even more damaging to the inks used to make the print. Don’t touch the print with your bare hand.

Framing

The need is simple. The frame and UV glass create a safe where the print will live. Some frames can be quite costly. Just as you would buy a house with a garage to keep a special car in, this is the place you keep the print to keep safe from sunlight, humidity, people touching it and other damaging forces like smoke.

The glass needs to be considered a separate and equally important part of caring for art.

The cost of museum conservation glass is almost double. The difference can be seen in almost no glare, almost no reflection. In a sample viewing next to regular UV glass, the museum glass looked like it was not even there. It is that good.

Cleaning the Glass

Cleaning the glass that protects the art requires its own special care. Read the instructions on the particular glass. Ask the framer to glue the directions to the backing on the print.

Generally you will not use any chemicals like window cleaners. Especially important is never ever spray the cleaner on the glass. It is important that all cleaning people know this too. The excess cleaner can run under the frame and be wicked up by the matting. At the least it will destroy the matting. At the worst it will damage the print.

Art Framing is a vital aspect of collecting, investing, and caring for art. The frame helps to protect the value of the art print. Do you know what is involved in proper art framing? Click to go back to framing. The 6th of 8 parts.

Re-selling Art is the part of Art Collecting and investing that enables you to get a return on your investment. Find out briefly how it is done. It is the 8th of 8 parts of this series.

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