A delicate work of art may survive transcontinental shipping in a perfectly designed crate and travel thousands of miles in a climate-controlled vehicle – only to be damaged at the final installation step. Unfortunately, such a scenario is nothing unusual. As soon as the artwork leaves its crate and professional packaging, it enters the area of maximum vulnerability. Read this article to learn how artworks are damaged during installation and how professionals can help you avoid it.
How Artworks Are Damaged During Installation: Key 3 Risks
Damage During Unpacking
The unpacking process is deceptively simple. Damage may happen quickly, especially if unpacking occurs in a crowded place. Hastened unpacking is often driven by the owner’s desire to see the art object immediately, but this haste may result in a wrong assessment of the artwork’s condition. In some cases, the glassine paper may adhere to paint if the painting was packed before drying fully, or the bubble wrap may contact the surface because of hurried or unprofessional packing. Timely detection of these issues and careful, delicate unpacking may save the art object from damage.
Wrong Approach to Acclimatization
Artwork unpacked in an environment dramatically different from its internal climate conditions may suffer a temperature and humidity shock. Such damage doesn’t emerge immediately, but it can become pronounced within hours or days after installation. Temperature-sensitive art objects need to be unpacked gradually, allowing their components to adjust to new conditions. Such an approach reduces the risk of cracking, warping, and pronounced surface damage.
Surface Contamination
Choosing the wrong gloves or extracting certain artworks from the package with bare hands may cause significant surface contamination. This category of installation-related damage is the most straightforward and totally avoidable: it’s enough to stick to high industry standards and use clean, white cotton gloves or nitrile gloves during artwork installation. Such precautions will save the painting from the transfer of oils, salts, and acids from the human skin; these contaminants are also hazardous for metal works and polished bronze. Even a single fingerprint can leave a lasting mark, with surfaces reacting with organic contaminants over time.
Safety Tips for Avoiding Installation Risks
Knowing how artworks are damaged during installation equips you with the vital knowledge to take timely precautions and make installation safer. Good handling is fundamental to long-term care and preservation of art objects. In most cases, it is enough to keep in mind that art is always more delicate than it looks; this will prevent you from treating installation as a low-risk, routine task.