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At the heart of every well preserved piece of artwork is good conservation framing. Conservation framing is the practice of using materials which will do the utmost to preserve the integrity of the art being framed. This practice is accomplished by using acid free materials against the artwork. For instance, all matboards should be of the acid free type. Don't be fooled by buffered, ph neutral matboards. These buffered boards will become more acidic over time as the lignin oxidizes and leach acid onto the work of art being framed. The matboards you choose should be acid free, lignin free, 100% rag, bleed and fade resistant, or a combination of the above. Further, the material which rests against the back of the artwork must also be acid free. The use of cardboard as a backing was standard practice in the past but is no longer acceptable due to its high acid levels. The material which rests against the back of the art must be acid free. An acid free barrier paper such as 2 ply rag is acceptable. A new alternative is the use of mylar sheets as the barrier. Mylar is nonpermeable and therefore superior to traditional 2 ply rag paper barriers. Acid free foamcore is also acceptable. There are many types of glass to use on your artwork. In addition to the standard clear and non-glare, there is conservation clear and conservation non-glare, and "museum" glass. Conservation clear and non-glare glasses have a clear coating on one side that filters 97% of the ultraviolet light from fading your artwork. Museum glass has a second layer that increases the light transmission through the glass. This makes the glass almost invisible as there is less reflection for your eye to see. It is important to use conservation or museum glass when there is a lot of sunlight or even flourescent lighting in the room. It is NOT 100% effective however. You should never hang artwork on a wall that recieves direct sunlight. It WILL fade the colors over time, the conservation glass will only slow the fading. Hinging of the artwork must also make use of acid free materials. Acid free linen tape, mylar hinges, and traditional rice paper hinges are all acceptable, depending on the type of artwork. Here at Pineapple Gallery, we offer ONLY conservation quality mat and backing boards. Conservation glass is recommended whenever you have indirect sunlight or flourescent lighting in the room where your art will hang. Remember, if a work of art is important enough to frame, it is important enough to frame properly. Always ask for conservation framing! |
