UV rays from the sun can damage works of art. Not all materials are equally affected though as some mediums are more sensitive to light than others. Take, for example, textiles. Those are the most sensitive to direct sunlight and not even UV protective glazing can protect them for colour fading.
Minimising sunlight exposure is crucial to protect your art and other framed materials such as family photographs, children’s drawings, and framed collages that likely took hours, if not days to sort through what you would be putting in the frame.
Where you display your art in the home will have an effect on how much protection it has. Framed prints need protection from direct sunlight and reflected sunlight, which can still harness a lot of UV energy. The most damaging sunlight for art is sunlight coming in through south-facing windows. However, south-facing walls painted white can also reflect a lot of the suns light and heat making it more damaging to art.
A brief overview of material sensitivity
- Extremely sensitive: Textiles
- Moderate sensitivity to light: Oil paintings
- Other light-sensitive materials: Felt-tipped pens, watercolours, pastels and any ink, such as inks used for printing photographs
Types of Framing for the Best Protection
- Textiles
UV glazing can give textiles partial protection, but they still shouldn’t be displayed in direct sunlight or anywhere that’s likely to be affected by reflective sunlight. There is only one exception and that’s for canvas prints that use UV inks as it’s the inks that are fade-resistant, rather than paint or dye on another type of fabric.
- Paintings
The most fragile of paintings are oil paintings including acrylic oils. The intense heat of direct afternoon sun is the most damaging. Varnish can offer some protection, as can UV glazing, however, the most problematic aspect with oils is from the heat of direct sunlight rather than the UV rays. The ideal temperatures should remain consistently between 16oC and 26oC.
Watercolour paintings are susceptible to fading from sunlight and from high moisture content. Any amount of direct sunlight is likely to lead to irreversible fading. These are best kept away from direct sunlight and in rooms with a stable humidity level under 60%, so not in the kitchen or bathroom where relative humidity fluctuates drastically.
What to Hang Where
Canvas prints that use UV resistant inks don’t need UV protection, but it’s still not a good idea to have them in direct sunlight for too long. Oil paintings are best displayed somewhere that has stable temperatures and room humidity levels, such as dimly lit hallways, the staircase, or a shaded area of a room.
Textiles will always be harder to protect against fading, regardless if you use a UV glazing or not. These should be displayed in an area that gets indirect sunlight and also where there’s less heat so not close to fireplaces or radiators.
Anything on paper with ink, either drawn or printed, is sensitive to sunlight too. For that reason, it can be beneficial to rotate your prints seasonally. Bring out your canvas prints in the summer, and swap them out over the winter with some of your framed family prints. Another option would be to use directional blinds or a window film.
Light is the enemy of all prints, whether that’s a cherished film poster, a framed comic book or family photographs. Even in low light, given enough time, damage can still happen. Low light for long periods is just as damaging as high levels of light for short periods of time.