What’s the Secret to a Museum-Quality Art Display?
You’ve acquired a few pieces of magnificent art. But somehow your art collection doesn’t come to life like it did in the museum gallery before you purchased it. You’ve put it up on the walls of your home. And something’s missing.
All too often, when we bring our new pieces of artwork into our homes, they’re hidden in the shadow. Or, maybe the sunlight streaming through the windows is making your art look pale and washed out.
You no doubt want your artwork to be the focal point of the room.
What’s the secret to displaying your art as though it’s on exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art? The answer is art lighting. Properly lighting your art is the thing that turns ordinary art into the extraordinary.
Art Lighting Displays Your Art Like a Museum
It doesn’t matter if you have just one or two pieces of art or an elaborate collection, the right lighting techniques will transform them into masterpieces. Different lights will affect each work of art differently, playing off the colors of the art and the colors in the room.
Museums, for instance, typically use lighting that’s three times brighter than the ambient lighting in the room. If the light is any brighter than that, there will be too much glare on the artwork.
Instead, you’ll want your light source placed at a 30-degree angle from the artwork. As you position the light, notice how the brightness reacts with the painting and the frame. Is there a shadow or glare? Minor adjustments in the angle might correct it.
Another thing to consider is how your art is displayed. Does your artwork have texture? Is there glass over your art? Are the colors of your artwork cool or warm? Light placement will ultimately depend on the answers to those questions.
It’s No Secret: The Right Lighting Matters
LED lights are optimal in lighting your art because they won’t get hot and damage your artwork over time. They’re versatile and can be used whether you use recessed lighting, track lighting, or projected light.
Avoid incandescent lights at all costs. The heat from this type of light will bake your art and cause the colors to fade and perhaps even crack the varnish. Keep your artwork out of natural or direct sunlight as well because UV rays can damage it.
When considering where to display your art, you might opt to choose a room that has little natural light.
You’ll want to illuminate your artwork so that it’s bright enough to notice the textures and colors of the piece. However, it shouldn’t be so bright that it’s distracting. The lighting should naturally enhance the artwork’s beauty and increase the ambiance of the room.
If your artwork is dark, it will likely require more light. Ultimately you want the lighting to produce a more dramatic piece of art and make the dominant color in the painting more brilliant.
Illuminating Your Art is a Wise Investment
When it comes to illuminating your art, it is well worth the investment. After all, you want to enjoy your artwork for years to come. You want to feel the same passion about your artwork 20 years from now as you did the moment you saw it and decided you had to have it.
There are many approaches to lighting art. Each piece of art has its optimal lighting application that will work best to turn them into museum works of art. Art and lighting are inseparable if you want to create a museum-quality display of your artwork.
Lighting your art is art in and of itself. In an art display, one cannot exist without the other.
The Takeaway
The skill level it takes to properly display your art is best left in the hands of an art lighting design specialist. You no doubt want your art to be presented in its best light.
Illuminations Lighting Design is an award-winning lighting design company located in Houston, Texas. Our expertise is unsurpassed in the great state of Texas. Our service area extends well beyond Houston and includes Royal Oaks, River Oaks, Memorial, Bellaire, West University, Southside, Beaumont, and more.
Call us at 713-863-1163 and we’ll give you the museum-quality art display of your dreams.
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