How-To
How to Care for Your Art Collection During the Summer
Caring for art is part of the joy of owning it. Summer is worth a special mention, though: stronger light, warmer rooms, and shifting humidity affect a collection in ways the milder months don’t. There are a handful of simple habits to keep the art you love looking beautiful season after season. Here’s how you can care for your art in the warmer months, in plain terms you can actually use.
Light: Give Your Art the Right Spot
Sunlight is wonderful—it’s part of what energizes a room—but strong, direct light can gradually soften the colors in a piece over time, especially in works on paper, photography, and prints. The easy fix is simply being thoughtful about placement.
If you have art on a wall that gets intense afternoon sun, summer is a good time to consider moving it to a spot with softer light or rotating in a less light-sensitive piece.
For framed works you’d like to keep in a bright spot, UV-filtering glass is an easy upgrade—and a lovely “do it once and forget it” solution. To the eye, it’s indistinguishable from ordinary glass, but it blocks the bulk of the fading-causing light, letting you enjoy a piece in a sunny room with complete peace of mind. Most framers offer it, and many now use it as their default.
Paintings on canvas are tougher and handle light well, so there’s no need to hide them away. A little awareness of where the strongest light falls is really all it takes.
Temperature and Humidity
If a room feels comfortable to you, it’s comfortable for your art. Big fluctuations between hot and cool, or damp and dry, are what art likes least, so the goal is simply to keep the art in rooms where the temperature is fairly steady.
Two easy things to keep in mind during the summer. First, give your art a little distance from air-conditioning vents. A steady blast of cold, dry air right beside a piece isn’t ideal. And second, if you head out of town for a stretch, it’s worth keeping the AC at a moderate setting rather than switching it off entirely, so your rooms don’t heat up while you’re away.
That’s really it. Art is happiest in the same easygoing conditions you are.
Refresh the View
Take a day to rearrange your art. Rehanging isn’t just a treat for tired eyes. It’s one of the easiest ways to look after a collection.
Move a delicate piece out of the light, yes, but also rotate a work from storage or rehang a favorite where you’ll actually see it every day. Because you’re already handling each piece, it’s the perfect chance to take a close look and give it a gentle dusting. A soft, dry cloth or a clean, dry brush is all you need. Skip household sprays and glass cleaners, even on framed works. Caring for your art and enjoying it more turns out to be the same thing.
The Joy of Looking After What You Love
The small habits of summer care are really just ways of staying close to your art. After picking a mindful spot and a gentle dusting now and then, what’s left is the good part. Longer days with the art you love looking exactly as they should.
Have a question about caring for a piece in your collection? Saatchi Art’s Art Advisory team is always happy to help.
