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Where to Hang a Painting to Avoid Heat and Sunlight
Hang your painting away from direct daylight, heating vents, and fireplaces to reduce heat damage and slow the irreversible fading of the artwork.
To protect your artwork, you should display paintings in locations with fairly constant humidity and temperature, keeping them away from direct sunlight, heating and cooling ducts, and physical hazards Basic care – Paintings.
Assessing light exposure to minimize fading
Daylight contains very high levels of radiation that damage paintings, so you should try to totally avoid this exposure if possible Basic care – Paintings. Watch to ensure the painting never receives direct sunlight at any point during the day Basic care – Paintings. Indirect or reflected daylight is better than direct light, and placing the artwork further away from the light source is preferable Basic care – Paintings. If the room has windows, closing drapes or blinds will reduce both the light and UV radiation exposure Environmental Guidelines for Paintings.
Prolonged periods of even "normal" natural or artificial light will cause fading, which is a type of light damage that cannot be reversed Basic care – Paintings. This fading or colour change can go unnoticed initially, but over time it may become quite noticeable Basic care – Paintings. As a general rule, display your more valued artworks in areas that receive less prolonged or direct light Basic care – Paintings. Directing lights at a painting can also cause damaging warm or hot spots on the paint surface Basic care – Paintings. You can reduce exposure times by raising light levels only when required and by dimming or turning off all lights when they are not needed Environmental Guidelines for Paintings.
Avoiding heat sources and climate fluctuations
Try to display your paintings in a place where the relative humidity and temperature remain fairly constant, avoiding levels that are very high (above 60%) or very low (below 40%) Basic care – Paintings. Avoid placing the artwork near open doors or windows, or in locations directly affected by the airflow from radiators or heating and cooling ducts, as these areas will experience rapid environmental changes Basic care – Paintings.
While the space above a fireplace is normally considered a display place of honour, it is not the best choice Basic care – Paintings. The environment around the chimney can fluctuate, becoming hot, very dry from the heat, and somewhat sooty as a result of using the fireplace Basic care – Paintings.
Evaluating wall insulation and physical hazards
You should only mount paintings against outside walls if those walls have a good vapour-barrier and insulation Basic care – Paintings.
When deciding on a location, determine if the artwork might be prone to physical damage Basic care – Paintings. Avoid hanging art in busy hallways or areas where people might touch or lean against the wall Basic care – Paintings. Finally, keep paintings away from areas affected by splatters from foodstuffs and beverages, or by the watering and misting of nearby plants Basic care – Paintings.