How To Care For Art In A New York Apartment
Light, humidity and radiators do more damage than anything else in the room.
Most damage to works on paper and canvas in domestic settings is environmental and gradual, which makes it easy to ignore until it is irreversible. New York apartments present a particular combination of hazards.
Light
Ultraviolet light fades pigments permanently, and works on paper are the most vulnerable. Direct sunlight on a work is the single most damaging common condition.
Hang light-sensitive works away from windows, and use glazing with ultraviolet filtering — available in both glass and acrylic. Acrylic is lighter and does not shatter, which matters for large works and in buildings with lifts.
Heat and dryness
Steam radiators produce intense localised heat and very dry conditions in winter. Hanging a work above or near one exposes it to cycling that causes paper to cock and panels to move.
The wall above a radiator is frequently the most convenient hanging place in a New York apartment and the worst.
Humidity swings
The winter dryness and summer humidity of the city produce a substantial annual swing. Stability matters more than any particular level, and a humidifier in winter reduces the range considerably.
High humidity encourages mould, which is a particular risk on outside walls and in ground floor apartments.
Framing properly
For works on paper, archival mounting matters: acid-free materials, hinges that can be reversed, and a spacer or mount so the work does not touch the glazing.
Tape used by a general framer can stain paper permanently within a few years, and it is among the most common forms of avoidable damage.
Handling and hanging
Handle works by the frame with clean hands, never by the wire. Use appropriate fixings for the wall type — plaster over masonry behaves differently from drywall, and both are common here.
Insurance and records
Photograph works, keep invoices and certificates together somewhere other than the apartment, and check whether your policy covers art or requires items to be scheduled separately. Standard contents cover frequently caps a single item well below what a work may be worth.
