Artifis Art Framers

CONSERVATION and MUSEUM LEVEL FRAMING

By displaying an artwork, the very life of the art is put at risk and may substantially diminish as a result.  This may sound odd, but in the paragraphs that follow we’ll look a little more closely at why this is so and what can be done to help reduce this risk.

If we did not wish to have the artwork on display, we could choose to have it kept in a conservator’s special environment where the conditions are closely controlled and monitored.  That however does not achieve the goal of displaying the artwork so that we can enjoy it.  The goal of the Conservation Framer is to frame the artwork in such a way that it can be displayed, while at the same time doing all that is possible to slow the natural processes that cause the artwork to age.  This is achieved by the Conservation Framer’s use of specific materials and techniques, which are explained in this section.

Why does artwork deteriorate?   can Conservation Framing help slow this?

Any material will in time disintegrate.  Artwork is no exception.  The materials out of which the artwork is made - paper, fabric, wood or whatever, do not last forever.  How long they last depends on a number of factors.  The first is how “pure” the material is in the first place.  For example, a paper that is of low quality at manufacture will contain a number of chemicals that will cause the paper to disintegrate over time.  Such disintegration is often accompanied by a change of colour and embrittlement of the paper.  Even better quality papers will suffer similarly, even if not quite so quickly.  Wood fibres (the basis of most papers) contain acidic lignins which if not specifically removed in the paper making process, will cause the paper to yellow and become brittle - often quite rapidly.  Many high quality papers now are treated to remove lignins, but so-called “acid free” papers are non-acidic only at the time of manufacture and will usually become acidic over time, partly as a result of atmospheric conditions. Other "acid free" paper products (including some framing matboards) are treated to make only the paper surface non-acidic at manufacture, but the core of the paper or card retains acidic lignins which will over time cause the surface to become acidic.   Art papers and matboards made of 100% cotton do not suffer from the aging caused by the chemicals in wood fibre based papers, although these too may eventually become acidic to a degree, depending on the environment in which they are kept.

Apart from the chemically induced aging in papers, there are several other factors which affect the life of our artwork.  These include Heat, Humidity, Mould, Insects, Light, Air Pollution, Improper Handling, and Damage by Prior Framing or Poor Framing Practices.

Heat, Humidity, Mould

These three factors are, to a large extent, usually within the control of the owner of the art and can often be addressed by appropriate measures.  For example, above a heater is not a suitable place to hang artwork and the use of a dehumidifier may be desirable in humid climates.  Particularly damp environments such as bathrooms are again generally unsuitable for hanging any artwork of value.  When storing artwork not on display, thought needs to be given to the atmosphere in which it is stored and it should be checked routinely for any signs of deterioration.

Insect damage

This risk can be substantially reduced by proper framing procedures and materials.  Cheap framing (even cheap custom framing) often does not adequately protect against this threat.  Regular inspection of the artwork (usually at least five yearly) by a conservation framer is a sound precaution to assist in detecting insect infestation before irreparable damage is done.

Damage by light
 
This is perhaps the most significant threat to the artwork, causing changes in the colour of the art and also its chemical composition which in turn leads to decay.  For this reason, displaying art in bright light conditions is always going to have a detrimental effect over time.  Understandably, bright sun is disastrous, as we know for example with furnishings.  Even low light carries risks.  Dyes, inks, paints, pastels and emulsions in photographs are some of the materials in artwork that are all adversely affected by light. Artificial lighting, especially standard fluorescent lighting is also damaging.  The use of special Conservation Glass is of great benefit in reducing the impact of light damage.  Such glass carries a special coating which filters out over 99% of the most damaging ultraviolet wavelengths.  It does not though completely eliminate all the risks from light.  However the benefits of using this glass are so substantial, that we recommend the use of this glass in all our framing work, unless the item to be framed is intended to last for only a short period, or is completely replaceable or of no particular value.  It should be remembered though, that the use of Conservation Glass does not bestow eternal life on the art underneath it!  It is only part (albeit a very important part) of the care required to slow the inevitable decay of all physical matter.  The lighting conditions of the displayed artwork should also be carefully considered.

Air Pollution

Regrettably, the air around us contains many pollutants from the activities and materials of our modern society.  Gases such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide are common and when combined with atmospheric moisture form acids which destroy paper.  This is difficult to completely guard against, but a properly assembled and sealed frame provides some protection against this.  Also, the use of special Conservation mats and mount boards containing zeolites - chemical molecular traps - is particularly useful in removing these airborne pollutants from around the artwork.

Damage by Inappropriate Framing Procedures

As with all endeavours, knowledge and skill need to be combined together to produce the best result and there is inevitably a wide range of competence and therefore outcomes in framing practices in the community.  There is also a wide range of quality in framing materials commercially available, to cater for those who are price driven at the budget end of the market.  The maxim “you get what you pay for” holds as much for framing as in any other area and if you are quoted a cheap price for a job, there is a good reason for this.  Put another way: All framing jobs are definitely not equal !!  Framing to a high standard is not a “cheap” undertaking and if you value your artwork, we strongly recommend that you employ the services of a truly competent Conservation Framer.  Any such business will be able to show you some examples of framing that has either directly destroyed the artwork, or at best, seriously damaged it.  Proper Conservation Framing is as much about the techniques used as it is about the materials employed and involves the whole job from start to finish.

Essential Conservation Framing Techniques

In addition to the materials and procedures described above, every Conservation framing job undertaken by Artifis includes the following procedures and materials:

• A minimum of two mat boards (or equivalent spacing) between the artwork and glazing.  This ensures that with the movement of materials that occurs with changes in air moisture content and from other causes, that the artwork does not come into contact with the glass.  Should such contact occur, the artwork may stick to the glass causing irreparable damage.

• No standard cardboard mat boards or mount boards are used.  The colours in these will inevitably quickly alter and they will also bleed colour and/or acids into the artwork over time.  For these reasons, for all framing jobs, Artifis uses only fully compliant Conservation (or Museum) Level mat boards and mount boards, even if the job is a lower cost non-conservation procedure.

• No self adhesive tapes are used anywhere inside the frame or to seal the frame.  The adhesive on these tapes will eventually fail and they will also leave damage to the surface of artwork attached by them.  If used to seal the back of the frame, they will eventually separate sufficiently to allow insects and other contaminants to enter the inside of the frame.  Self adhesive tapes are also not reversible in the event that the artwork needs reframing or adjusting inside the frame.  All tapes used by Artifis inside the frame are moisture activated and we use only purified water, to avoid staining caused by the impurities in standard water.

• All frame mouldings are sealed with a special aluminium sealing tape to prevent the migration of acids in the wood from entering the contents of the frame.

• The backing board (or “filler board”) behind the mounted artwork is sealed on the inside with a polypropylene barrier sheet to prevent acids from the backboard reaching the artwork.  It also provides substantial protection from the entry of moisture from the wall behind the frame.

• Ultraviolet filtering Conservation (or Museum) Glass is used for glazing.  This filters out over 99% of the damaging ultraviolet wavelengths. Standard (non-conservation) glass allows the majority of these wavelengths to reach the artwork.

By now it should be clear that Conservation Framing involves much more than just the use of so-called “Acid Free” materials.  Such materials often do not even meet the clear standards for Conservation requirements and the words “acid free” (and even “conservation”) are very often no more than loosely used "marketing speak" to sell the products.  At best, the term implies that the product or even just the surface of the product is not acidic at the time of manufacture.  It does not necessarily conform to any other manufacturing standard or specification in terms of conservation.  For these reasons, Conservation Framers generally do not use this confusing term.

The above list is not by any means a complete specification for Conservation Framing, but it covers a number of the essential areas that distinguish this level of framing from other less rigorous levels.  There are also many other considerations in both materials and procedures that are consistent with what is appropriate and required for this standard of framing.

Museum Level Framing

This level of framing employs all the requirements for Conservation level and in addition specifies the use of some specific materials and techniques.  This includes the use of 100% solid cotton for all mat boards and mount boards.  Glazing may be in either Conservation or Museum glass: both offer the same degree of ultraviolet protection, but Museum glass also has a coating which reduces reflectance to a very low level, making the glass virtually invisible under most viewing conditions and also providing extraordinary clarity in the image itself.

Acknowledgment is made of Conservation Framing (V. Kistler, Columba Publishing, 2004) as a source for material used in parts of this commentary.