Hot, Humid, Weather Isn't Just Bad For Your Hair

As the summer marches on and temperatures continue to rise, have you considered if your art is prepared to endure the heat? Rising temperatures, increased humidity, and extended light exposure can all wreak havoc on your collection, and we at the Janus Gallery want to make sure your paintings will beat the heat! Read on to get some tips on how to best preserve your art during the summer months!

Hang your paintings in safe locations.

Paintings are always best off on interior walls in your home, away from windows, heaters, air conditioning vents, fireplaces, water pipes, and humidifiers. Excessive heat, humidity, light, dryness, or temperature fluctuations can seriously alter your artwork through canvas tightening, warping, wood backing softening, paint flaking, chipping, fading, and more. Your art is precious, and it’s essential to provide a safe home for it no matter the conditions!

Keep an eye on humidity levels.

Do you live in a warm, tropical climate? Are you experiencing routine thunderstorms this summer? If so, humidity may pose a particular threat to your art, and damage sustained from humidity can be quite difficult to repair. The best way to keep your art in a temperate climate is to keep it away from doors with outside access, frequently opened windows, and keep an eye on the air conditioning levels in your home. Ideally, your art should stay around 40-60% humidity (45-55% if you want to be precise), excessive moisture can cause warping, paint damage, and misshape your canvas. As long as your AC remains steady and your art is tucked away from doors and windows, your art should be well protected!

Watch out for high temperatures.

70-72 degrees (and at most 75 degrees) is the ideal temperature for your artwork to stay at in the spring and summer months. Your art is always best off remaining indoors in consistent climates (away from vents, windows, etc.), and your air conditioning will likely be a mainstay for this summer as the sweltering heat continues, so your art should be comfortable as long as you are!

Store your art carefully.

If you have art that is not on display in your home, be mindful of how it is stored during the summer. In periods of high humidity, paintings stacked together may stick and be difficult to pull apart with damaging their paint. Your storage room should maintain the same temperature and humidity levels as any rooms featuring displayed artworks, lights should ideally be off in the storage space, and all pieces should be stored upright in separate crates or with dividers between them. If this sounds like too large an undertaking, consider using an art storage facility! Art shipping and storing companies pride themselves on carefully handling, shipping, and caring for art collections of any size for people across the world. Art storage warehouses have stringent climate control systems in place to ensure artworks are held in the best possible conditions, so if storing your art safely in your home feels too precarious, you can always consult a professional!

These are just a few tips on how to best preserve and protect your art to ensure your collection endures the summer heat. We at the Janus Gallery have an array of artworks available on our Artsy and will personally advise you on installation, storage, and display processes as part of your purchase of a piece by one of the members of the Janus Gallery collective! If you have any questions, feel free to email us at concierge@janusgallery.com. Stay safe and stay cool this summer, and make sure your art does the same!