Suggestions for Helping You Preserve Your Paintings & Frames
Maintain an environment between 40 and 60 percent humidity.
Avoid hanging pictures in direct sunlight; this can cause fading of some pigments, yellowing of varnish.
Avoid hanging near fireplaces, heating and air conditioning vents, bathrooms or outside walls due to rapid environmental fluctuations.
Avoid lighting that generates enough heat to warm the surface of the painting.
Use small rubber spacers on the back of the frame to increase air circulation behind the picture.
Do not touch the painting with your fingers; the natural oils in your skin can cause damage and leave marks that may appear decades later.
Avoid using pesticides, foggers, air fresheners and furniture sprays near paintings.
Remove art from the room before plastering, painting, wallpapering or steam-cleaning carpet.
Do not try to clean a painting yourself, or use any liquid on a painted surface.
Contact a conservator for intervention if:
Varnish becomes discolored and affects the artist's intended colors.
Tears in the canvas appear.
Paint flakes and cracks.
Mold or insects appear on the painting.
The surface is rippled or out-of-plane.