You Have an Art Collection, Now What?
Industry leaders share their insights on how to care for an art collection.
By Rochelle Belsito
Collecting fine art adds a bit of beauty to a home, but often there are questions about what to do once that work of art is in its space. In this article we are demystifying how to care for and maintain your art collection. Three art dealers—Buddy Le, partner at Coeur d’Alene Galleries and March in Montana Auction; Leroy Garcia, owner of Blue Rain Gallery; and Maggie DeDecker, owner of Claggett/Rey Gallery—offer their tips and insights on how to help keep your works of art in quality condition.
Remember, this is just a broad overview and some of the basics might not apply to every work of art you own. Always consult an art dealer with questions about your specific collection, and they can guide you with pointers or make suggestions on who to talk with for conservation or preservation. Now, let’s dive in.
Photo: DimaBerlin, Adobe Stock
Meet The Experts
Buddy Le
Partner, Coeur d’Alene Galleries & March in Montana Auction
cdagalleries.com, marchinmontana.com
Leroy Garcia
Owner, Blue Rain Gallery
blueraingallery.com
Maggie DeDecker
Owner, Claggett/Rey Gallery
claggettrey.com
Paintings and Their Surroundings
How and where you display art can be important to maintaining its condition over time. This is not just about the space but also the environmental factors of the room. Is it going to be in direct light? Will there be extra moisture? Does the medium of the work need to be considered? There are countless questions to ponder.
Display & Lighting
Where artwork will hang should be one of the first considerations, and it can lead to creative displays. Le says, “With so many new homes having a lot of windows, wall space fills up quicker than ever. Don’t be afraid to maximize that space with multiple paintings.” Putting paintings on a bookshelf or building a gallery wall that combines a variety of frames and sizes can add personal aesthetics to your home.
Lighting is crucial, whether artificial or natural, and can impact how the work looks and how it ages over time. Natural lighting can be decided by the environment in your home, and as Garcia says, “Most homes in the Southwest corridor have a lot of glass and a lot of natural light, so you don’t really need to worry too much about [indoor light] unless you want to see the art at night.”
All three experts recommend working with electricians and contractors if you want to add lighting, which can be planned based on where the artwork will hang. This is an easy first step if you are building or renovating your home.
DeDecker elaborates, “Whether it’s a custom fitted picture light or direct lighting within the home, if you—and your visitors—want to truly enjoy your artwork you should take the time to plan for proper lighting. If you are building a new home or remodeling, I would suggest meeting with someone familiar with lighting paintings because architects usually put in nondirectional lights and place them too close to the wall your artwork will reside upon.”
Your gallerist can be a great resource. DeDecker says her husband, Bill Rey, who is owns Claggett/Rey with her, often consults with clients to create lighting designs that meet the needs of the collection.
In recent years certain types of lightbulbs, like incandescent, have been phased out of production but the LED bulbs available can have benefits for artwork. Garcia explains, “They don’t exert heat, and heat can be a damaging influence on all art. The LED lights burn cold, they’re not hot and they give you the same amount of light.”
Works on Paper
Direct sunlight can fade uncovered works on paper, like watercolors and drawings. Today there is museum-quality, UV-protectant glass available that helps keep the quality of the artwork.
Le gives his perspective: “I know some people can be turned off by works on paper because of the glass, but the quality of museum glass has really improved in protecting your artwork as well as minimizing the glare. You’re always going to get some glare whether it’s an oil painting or a work of art behind glass as we move around the sun. I personally dislike the non-glare glass, because it’s too grainy for my liking, but like the artwork, it’s a personal preference.”
Climate
The varnishes and sealants used on oil and acrylic paintings make glass unnecessary for the most part; however, the climate of the room can affect a work on canvas. “Paintings on canvas have a tendency to expand and contract, so a consistent temperature will help prevent canvases expanding or contracting,” says Le. “Artists today are also using more canvases on foam board which prevents any loosening that canvases on stretcher bars suffer from.”
Two of the biggest risks to your art are moisture and smoke, according Le. He notes, “It can be very difficult to repair a painting with water damage, and smoke damage will interfere with the colors of the original painting. However, sometimes smoke damage can be repaired by stripping the varnish off, cleaning and applying a new coat of varnish.”
What About Sculpture?
Three-dimensional works have a different set of circumstances when it comes to care. Sculptures are often done in a more durable medium—like bronze—so interior environments don’t have as many guidelines. However, incorporating these pieces into an exterior space can change the game.
Display & Lighting
When indoors, the lighting shows off the details and shadows of a bronze, so it’s something to think about when adding to a collection. Placement can be almost anywhere you have space. Tabletop-size bronzes are popular because they can go on desks, coffee tables or in the entryway, while larger scale pieces can accent a corner or be a focal point of conversation. Outdoors, monumental works can blend cohesively with their surroundings.
Climate
Those surroundings matter though, with DeDecker sharing, “Without care, outdoor sculptures fall victim to various environmental elements and human interactions. Too often people think sculptures are supposed to turn green, or the colors fade. Many think areas of sculptures are supposed to have white dripping stripes or black spotted areas, because that’s how they are used to seeing them, but that’s corrosion, calcification and dirt! Outdoor sculptures should actually look like the day the collector brought the sculpture into their collection, especially bronze sculpture.” She says there are companies that specialize in that type of cleaning service.
Looking to where you live, Garcia says that in the Southwest—or a hot climate—the biggest environmental factor for bronzes is sunlight. If you live on the coasts, or where there is high salinity in the water, it can deteriorate the color. Garcia notes, “It won’t eat into the bronze, but it will eat into the pigment on the bronze, which is the patina.” He also says, “older bronzes that have blacker or darker patinas without colors are much easier to take care of.” He suggests using a wax with UV protection every six months to help keep the patina from fading when exposed to the elements.
Displaying Glass Art
Glass art has its own unique conditions when displaying it in your home because the lighting changes how the piece can look. Garcia works with many fine glass artists and says, “Sometimes, a gallery or an artist—for example, Preston Singletary, when he finishes a piece of glass—will send it to one of the most knowledgeable photographers of glass in the country, and will professionally light it from the back, underneath and on the side to get the glow. Most homes do not have that, so the best thing is to look at the piece in the gallery when you come in and in natural light. The natural light for glass is the best.”
If you own large-format lead crystal castings, as Garcia explains, “you also need to be prepared to keep those in a cold, dark setting or where you don’t have fluctuations of heat. And because parts of the glass might be hit by the sunlight, and the top part and the bottom part may not, you have friction between the hot and the cold, and it can cause fissures in your glass. So you just want to make sure the temperature is the same throughout the day.”
Notes on Cleaning
Just like other surfaces in your home, your artwork will need to be cleaned occasionally. Garcia favors using canned air spray, but it depends on the surface and texture. “For example, we sell kachina dolls. You’re not going to want to take a rag and wipe it down, and that’s why I would prefer canned air spray, and that’s probably the best you can do,” he says. “You can send them back to the galleries every now and then, or we can send it to a carver to put in seed oil or whatever protectants they’re doing, but mostly you just have to use canned air to preserve the detail.”
For paintings, you don’t want to wet the surface especially if it’s an uncovered watercolor. However, Le says, when it comes to oils and acrylics, “Don’t be afraid to dust the surface of your paintings. Just use a soft duster and don’t put too much pressure on the canvases. One little trick we use is the Magic Eraser. It’s like a little cleaning sponge, that’s dry of course, but lightly running it over your canvas works like a dream.”
Collection Management
Outside of the ongoing care of your art, Le says it’s important to manage your collection. He recommends, “collectors keep an inventory of their artwork with photographs. An Excel spreadsheet is an easy way to track artists, dimensions, purchase price, etc. It makes it easy to share whether it’s to your insurance company, or if collectors want to know current values. Your heirs will also thank you!”
Passing Along A Collection
Estate planning for your collection is an important conversation to have with your children or heirs. DeDecker suggests, “Pieces should be bequeathed to those who truly enjoy them for their aesthetic value not their monetary value. Surround yourself with works of art that make you happy. Enjoy them and then pass them along to the next worthy custodian. If your heirs do not have the same artistic taste as you, there are many things to consider: reselling the work through the gallery you purchased it from; auction; or donating the piece to an institute, university, hospital, town, etc.”
This story appeared in the October/November 2024 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Subscribe today to read every issue in its entirety.