Featured Is Your Piece of Art Going to Rot?

Hello all.

I'm just here, spurred by a (maybe-not-so-recent) inquiry about a painting on silk, that was clearly matted & framed with no consideration for archival preservation whatsoever.

To be sure, this probably happened at it's very inception or creation ~ at a time when people didn't widely understand the importance of framing works on paper, silk, etc. with archival intent.

I am all about keeping objet d'art as *true* to their original presentation as possible; but, as an artist myself, who has had many of my own works on paper matted & framed, I can not stress enough the importance of preserving your two-dimensional works properly.

As a buyer of all kinds of stuff, in my junkin' & antiquin', a piece of art that is already showing signs of decomposition, due to the shoddy matting and/or framing, or excessive flocking to the paper, is most often a deal-breaker for me.

As we all know, every *flaw* in any given piece is a detriment to it's value. (Sometimes it's not too-far-gone to pursue restoration & reframing) ~ but if it is too-far-gone, or if it is clear that there is no way to maintain the original integrity of the piece ... with a matt *glued* to the surface or the back *glued* to cardboard, or something of this nature ... you're probably best off not to buy it.

Just a word of cautionary [unsolicited] advice.

By the way, framing services are not "cheap" by any means ~ so you may want to consider the ultimate value of a piece, and what you are willing to invest in it's archival presentation, before you buy it as well.

I'm sure this is a really sophomoric observation to many of you. But I hope it helps others shop wisely.

Have a great day!

 

{addendum}: I thought I should qualify/clarify immediately that, while I presented such an emphasis on *glue,* a piece doesn't have to be suffering from this common affliction alone for it to be threatened by rotting.

CARDBOARD is the DEATH of two-dimensional artworks! ... If your piece is backed by cardboard, get it out of there immediately!

And while you're at it, have it rematted too ~ (because I can just about guarantee, in that situation, that the matt is non-archival too).

 

That's usually my first reaction - many a frame has been pitched in this house! Cardboard is a killer of artwork. In the old days they didn't have acid free stuff to use, or just didn't know, or didn't worry about preserving things that weren't meant to survive.

 

Hi,
The first thing that gets done after buying a framed painting. The liner gets tossed and if the painting is too small for the frame this happens next. The old frame gets a fresh coat of lacquer around the wood rabit. Then a new wood frame is set in and the inside gets lacquered and the outside gets a new coating to match the old frame. If it is a print the same thing happens. That frame always gets a new lining of lacquer or shellac. The matting gets a new acid free one. If it is a very fancy matte I will try and deacidified it. It gets turned over and brushed with a mixture of club soda and an antiacid. It gets brushed on quickly so it does not soak too far into the matt. I let it dry and then brush on another coat. Usually four is enough to protect the print for a long time. It is amazing what I have found in the pictures being opened and redone. Once I found a $50.00 bill from the 30s. My favorite was a framed print of a Turner painting. Found out it was a magazine cover from the 20s covering up a wonderful photograph of Niagara Falls taken in 1901.
greg

 

I was hoping to stimulate such conversation. And thank you so much for your reply!

I just love this kind of thing.

(If I were to have an alternative *dream career*) ~ it would be to be a curator & preservationalist.

I did notice that you said "painting."

And, (again ~ as an artist myself), I think works on paper, silk ... prints ... whathaveyou ... (the *thinner* "canvases" if you will), present even more challenges in their preservation than most paintings.

The question of how *temporal* a piece of art is "meant to be," or how inherent it is to it's own medium, can open up a whole new can of worms in the debate over what is *valued* in "ART."

I can not tell you the number of times I have confessed to strangers that "I am an artist" ~ only for them to immediately assume in their asking "Oh? - What do you paint?"

[I love drawing] ~ which I include among this medium: watercolor. (Works on paper).

Painting: I think, is ultimately "easy." (From my own experience & perspective). But to lay a line of ink down on a piece of paper requires real commitment & confidence in skill ... because you just can't hide it with more paint.

[I'll await the backlash from other artists on this point].

I DO think there are great opportunities out there for buying works on paper that are quite remarkable, and that, in the future, will hold GREAT value, if only they are preserved properly.

(Just my own, certainly bias, observation). And you'll find that I am forever qualifying myself. I do that. But don't misinterpret it as a disclaimer.

"I'm just sayin'." -lol-

The definition of *painting* being the end-all & be-all of "art" has always irked me though.

Shall we move on to the movement of deconstructivism now ... *?* ...

[just kidding]

Let's get started! ...

 

I try to conserve art as best as possible but sometimes it is not practical. For example, a particular artist who's works I love almost always glued his watercolors to cardboard backings. The cost of having them removed would generally exceed the value of the work, not to mention de-acidification. Should I not buy a work I love? I don't think so. The work will last longer than me and I can enjoy it as-is.

 

~ therein lies the debate of "value," Brad.

And I very much appreciate your comment.

You are absolutely spot-on with your last statement of it having intrinsic value to *you* ~ and in your own lifetime at that.

 

I bought 2 old lithographs at an estate sale that had been professionally framed in the 70s. I was going to re-matt them and paint the frames to modernize them..

Took the backing off and what do you know..
Glued to the matts.
The people at the framing shop where I bought the matts werent as surprised as I was.

So disappointing.

 

I've rescued a few embroidered pieces; those are generally easier to remove from the backing. It's possible to get those prints off of the cardboard, but it has to be professionally done and it's not cheap.

 

Interesting, my only question is whether there's a difference between (these) and [those] and if so, what? (When I have nothing to add) [I may just toss in something snarky.]

 

(strictly being paranthetical) vs. [adding extra words or descriptors] ... {usually}

E.E. Cummings, John Ashbery, & Donald Bartholme taught me everything I ever wanted to know about punctuation.

 

I don't really have any knowledge when it comes to artwork conservation though I seem to have far too many pieces of art around here.

What I did want to ask and mention concerns acid free. I volunteered for years at the state conservation and collections lab where I live. One of the projects we had to work on from time to time was re-housing archaeological collections. They started out in archival poly bags inside acid free cardboard boxes. Over time the poly breaks down and the "acid free" becomes acidic.

What I'm wondering is if the same happens in acid free mats. We would check for acidification with a particular maker. Anyone have any experience?

 

I started framing prints in 1990 .
To cut costs I used regular mats on some of the 1st prints , but quickly changed to acid free mats ....at a higher cost , knowing that in the long run, my clients and my reputation would be adversely affected by poor quality framing.

While I hate to admit it.....the acid free framed works still in my possession ....remain in excellent condition...with the mats still bright white where they were cut..and no acid leaching has occurred on any of them.
Some of those early prints have increased in value several times their original cost , and the acid free mats and backings have assured that they stayed that way.