The Fundamentals of Artwork Care in Your Home

What Do the Mona Lisa and Great-Grandmother Have in Common?

The Fundamentals of Artwork Care in Your Home

Whether you happened to lay your hands on the original Mona Lisa or hold a cherished antique photograph of your beloved great-grandmother, in both cases you’d want to make sure this precious item—valuable to your heart or your wallet—doesn't go to waste due to improper care.

I have two pieces of news (as usual, one good and one bad):

The bad news is that all artworks undergo a natural process of deterioration and aging. Even marble sculptures age over time, let alone oil paintings, and especially works on paper. Every artwork has its own rate of aging.

Image Note: Oil on canvas damaged by harmful treatment, haze, paint flaking, and stains. The painting after cleaning, stabilization, damage repair, and protective coating.

The Invisible Enemies of Your Art

As if natural aging weren't enough, our art pieces must also contend with biological pests like mold, various insects (such as silverfish and wood-boring beetles, commonly known as woodworms), and even rodents.

To top it off, there is air pollution—a modern headache that generations prior to the Industrial Revolution never had to face. Dust, soot, and airborne sulfur compounds cause color shifts, staining, fading, and structural weakening of the substrate.

The Framing Trap

Most people assume that once they go through the trouble and expense of framing a piece, it is fully protected. Unfortunately, the exact opposite is often true. Most standard framing performed today not only fails to protect the artwork but can cause severe damage. The use of acidic framing materials and invasive adhesives frequently inflicts irreversible harm.

The Good News: How to Protect Your Collection

Does this sound alarming? Does it mean all our artworks are doomed? Not necessarily. Through awareness and by adhering to a few simple rules of thumb, we can extend the lifespan of our pieces significantly.

Climate Control: Managing relative humidity and temperature is relatively straightforward today, whether for a specific room housing your most valuable items or an entire residence.
Conservation Framing: Proper framing—known as conservation framing or museum-grade framing—is tailored specifically to the type of artwork. It dramatically improves resistance to climate fluctuations, air pollution, UV radiation, and harm caused by the most unpredictable factor: human handling.
Light Protection: Smart use of blinds, curtains, non-UV lighting, and UV-filtering films installed on windows or display glass drastically reduces the aggressive damage caused by light exposure.
Backing & Protection for Oil Paintings: Artworks traditionally displayed without glass, such as oil paintings, must be protected with a suitable protective coat (varnish) formulated specifically for their medium. Leaving an oil painting unvarnished is like displaying a watercolor or gouache without glass! Furthermore, each canvas painting requires a specialized protective backing board that provides physical protection against dust, pests, and humidity while still allowing the artwork to "breathe." Only institutions like major museums, with full environmental climate control, can safely display canvas paintings without backing boards.

Prevention vs. Restoration

Extensive experience shows that taking proper preventative care of a painting, document, or any cherished item is financially wise. The cost of preservation is incomparably lower than the expensive restoration required after years of neglect or improper care.

Spreading the Knowledge

If you're asking yourself why hardly anyone warns or educates the public about these critical issues, I share your concern. Unfortunately, very few educational institutions train artists, curators, or museum professionals in this fundamental aspect of artwork maintenance.

This is why I dedicate significant time and effort to sharing this vital knowledge with the general public—through lectures and workshops in both private and institutional settings, as well as by distributing detailed care guides. I also established a comprehensive website largely dedicated to instructing art owners on how to properly care for their pieces, along with professional resources for those seeking deeper knowledge.