Special Exhibitions
Conserving the Past for the Future
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Special Exhibitions |
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Conserving the Past for the Future |
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Light and Heat in the Museum Light is damaging to many objects in museum collections. Displaying works of art, therefore, is a delicate balancing act because museums have dual but conflicting mandates, to both preserve and exhibit their collections. As custodians of museum collections, conservators and curators face the ongoing challenge of striking the best compromise between these competing objectives.All organic materials can be damaged by light and associated heat. The term "organic" in this context refers to all things derived from animals or plants - for example, paper, cotton, linen, silk, wool, wood, parchment, leather, feathers, hair, pigments/dyes oils, glues, gums, and resins - as well as "man-made" materials such as synthetic dyes and plastics. "Organic material" is therefore a term that can be applied to many objects in a museum collection. Some inorganic materials (for example, certain mineral-based pigments) are also susceptible to light damage. The effects of light are cumulative and irreversible. In order to minimize light damage, the lighting of works of art in a museum collection is controlled and monitored. For particularly light sensitive objects, such as Hours of Queen Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Spain and all works of art on paper and related materials (books, illuminated manuscripts, miniatures, and many types of photographs, as well as Asian screens, scrolls, and textiles) restricting light exposure is a primary objective of preventive conservation. Because of their light sensitivity these types of objects are almost never on permanent display. For these works, storage in darkness is crucial to their longevity. Page 4 of 5 | On the next page: How Light Can Damage Objects in Museums |
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