Albany Fine Art : Protecting your collection

USEFUL INFORMATION - Protecting your Collection

The following information is provided by way of general guidance only and is not intended to be definitive. Readers are advised to seek professional advice via, for example, the Useful Links included.

Maintain an Up-to-Date Inventory

Official Appraisal & Valuation

Depending on the value of your collection, the best advice is to engage an independent, qualified appraiser to fully document and value your collection. The more valuable the collection, the wiser this is.

Or, at the very least, prepare your own Digital or Paper Record
Take a digital image(s) of each item (the higher the resolution the better) and save to CD or photograph with other camera and colour prints. Prepare a description of each item, the more detailed the better but definitely including the type of object, the medium or material, dimensions, condition of the piece, where and when purchased and any other provenance - with original receipts, documents of authenticity etc.

File a copy in a separate location outside your home: for example, at your solicitors or bank.

Some Useful Do’s and Don’ts

Works of art are vulnerable to many risks, some obvious, others less so:

Do

Frame all art with ‘museum quality’ framing materials
This applies especially to works on paper, textiles and photographs. Ultraviolet (UV) glass will also help protect pictures from fading (and thus reducing their value).

Think where to hang a work before you do so
In order to prevent accidental damage.

Display at eye-level
Most pictures are intended to be viewed at eye-level. When hanging a number of works it is useful to arrange them on the floor first.

Take care when affixing to a wall
Use two hooks on the wall, each set about a quarter of the way in from either side of the picture. Check that the cord, wire or other hanger is designed to support the weight of the work. It is wise to take professional advice where safety is critical as, for example, when hanging a work in a child's bedroom.

Beware heat
Extreme or rapid changes in temperature cause paper and wood to warp or dry out and adhesives to fail. It is best to try to maintain your home at a constant temperature of approximately 20 degrees Celsius (plus or minus 3 degrees) and 55% relative humidity (plus or minus 5 degrees). If your home thermostat is imprecise, you can purchase a digital thermohygrometer (which measures temperature and air humidity) relatively inexpensively, at about £20.

Beware damp
Attics and cellars are particularly susceptible to extreme or rapid changes in temperature and could be prone to flooding or other water leaks. Avoid hanging framed pictures in such conditions as damp can cause them to ripple, and encourages fungal growth. It is best to allow six months before hanging pictures on newly plastered walls.

Use smoke detectors rather than heat detectors

As smoke damage can result before heat build-up is detected.

Handle and store with care
When carrying and transporting a picture, hold the frame firmly on both sides. When storing pictures, stack them vertically, the right way up, and 'glass to glass' (so that fixings on the reverse do not damage the frames).

Clean gently
Dust frames with a soft brush and do not apply water or cleaning fluids, especially on the varnished surface of oil paintings (just dust carefully).

Keep undisplayed works in a lockable cupboard
Wrap items as safely as possible. Stack framed items vertically, the right way up, and ‘glass-to-glass’.

Consult qualified professionals

Install a reliable home alarm system

Ensure your contents insurance reflects current market value

Don’t’s

Don’t (ever) hang paintings or any other work in direct sunlight
Direct sunlight, as well as natural light, can cause severe damage, especially to works on paper, textiles and photographs: and this damage is usually irreversible. Whenever possible, keep blinds or curtains drawn and turn off all lighting in rooms that are not in use. Ultraviolet (UV) window glass and/or picture glass will help but may not eliminate the problem.

Don’t hang paintings above radiators or chimneys/fireplaces
Extreme or rapid changes in temperature and smoke can affect the surface of a painting, cause paper and wood to warp and dry out, and adhesives to fail. Avoid hanging pictures directly above radiators and fireplaces/chimneys in use can dry out a painting from the back.

Don’t use picture lights
Damage can result from light focussed on a particular spot on a picture and from frequent changes in temperature as the light is switched on and off.

Don’t store pictures or any other artwork in cellars or attics
Both are rarely climate- or damp-controlled, are subject to dramatic changes in temperature, and could be prone to flooding or other water leaks.

Don’t use water or chemicals
Water, cleaning fluids or other chemicals can damage pictures, frames or other artworks, especially on the varnished surface of oil paintings. Just dust with a soft brush or cloth.

Don’t hang a painting or display a work in a location visible from the street
As this could encourage theft.