When I first officially started working in the art market as a young undergraduate, I had the ironic good fortune of learning the mistakes collectors made before I had the money to become one. Yes, this article will be a slight departure from our usual tips and tricks for artists. This one is written more for collectors or aspiring gallerists—although the lessons here are still highly applicable to artists.

The easiest way to make a great artwork a bad one is to ruin it with poor framing. Here, I’m going to outline the best practices, the worst practices, and some anecdotal horror stories I’ve come across in my time. Different mediums, such as works on paper, photography, or canvas, all require different approaches, and some require more safeguards than others to protect the longevity of the piece. The list of things that can go wrong—and the types of damage that can happen to artwork—is very long. For this article, I will stick largely to the main culprits, and the easiest things you can do to prevent them.

The first thing I tell any collector or artist when they are getting something framed, especially prints or works on paper, is to use archival materials.

Almost all art supply stores carry them: things like acid-free matboard, acid-free foamcore, acid-free tape, backing, and hinges. Use these if you need to store your prints or artworks over time before they get framed. Professional framers will also use these when the artwork does eventually end up in a frame.

This leads to perhaps a more important distinction: what is not archival?

Cardboard, painter’s tape, masking tape, plywood, standard wood-pulp matboards, and masonite are all non-archival. That is not to say you cannot use them briefly in a pinch or when transporting items for a short period. Simply be mindful that over time, all of these materials are liable to cause acid or adhesive damage—the two most common types of damage. Typically, these affect works on paper much more than canvas, metal, or acrylic prints.

So what is it and what does the damage look like?

Acid damage occurs when the acids in non-archival materials migrate into the artwork itself through direct contact. This turns the artwork brown or yellow, and it will develop "burn lines" where the paper came into contact with the non-archival backing or mat. Acid damage is when the acids in non-archival materials migrate into the material of the artwork itself through direct contact, and will turn artwork brown, or a bit yellow, and it will develop “burn lines” where the artwork came in contact with non-archival backing or mat. 

Another silent killer is adhesive damage, and this type of damage is much harder to reverse. As mentioned, most pressure-sensitive tapes—like painter’s tape, masking tape, double-sided tape, or (heaven forbid) duct tape—pave the way to destroying an artwork forever. The adhesives and oils in these tapes degrade over time, sinking permanently into the fibers of the artwork.

Another crucial archival material is Museum Glass. In my opinion, this is the most important element of professional framing. Its function is two-fold: it protects your artwork from UV damage, and it is far more effective at mitigating glare and reflection than regular glass.

I digress briefly to say this: once you see what an artwork looks like under Museum Glass, it is really hard to go back. It is like using the good olive oil, once you start using the high-grade stuff, it’s hard to go back, but it is also prohibitively expensive.

In fact, my unyielding inclination towards museum glass, and aversion to all else, is largely the reason the majority of prints and works on paper I have collected remains to this day, unframed. I get excited about adding new works to my collection, but time and time again (although I know it subconsciously), I forget to factor the cost of proper framing the work properly into my budget when purchasing from my favourite studios, artists, or galleries. I end up having to save up long after the initial purchase just to get my pieces framed. In some ways, buying an original painting on canvas or panel (where framing under glass is unnecessary) from an emerging artist can actually end up cheaper than buying a more "accessible" print once you factor in framing costs.

Back to the matter at hand: UV damage. Just like SPF sunblock, Museum Glass protects your art from its fastest-acting enemy: the sun. Just like a sunburn on your skin, solar radiation breaks down pigments, fades paint, and alters the color of unprotected paper.

Similar to sunscreen, Museum Glass (often manufactured by Tru Vue) comes in multiple grades of UV protection: 70%, 92%, and 99%, ascending in both protection and price.

It will be pricey upfront, but you will save yourself the cost of ruining the artwork or paying for expensive restoration. At our gallery in Toronto, we actually have a 99% UV film installed on all of our windows as a blanket layer of protection for every artwork in the space.

A form of damage much more common with canvas is mechanical stress, also known as warping or buckling. This happens when moisture, fluctuating temperatures, poor materials, or improper storage cause a canvas stretcher or frame to warp over time. Fortunately, this is a relatively easy fix: a professional can simply unstretch the canvas and restretch it onto a new, sturdy support.

Another consequence of mild mechanical stress is a wavy, slightly loose, or floppy canvas. This can often be fixed with an incredibly easy home remedy: lightly misting the back of the canvas with cold water (do not soak it). However, be very careful when doing this with acrylic paintings, as some elements and pigments can remain water-soluble.

Should you ever find yourself with an artwork suffering from these types of damage, fret not—all is not lost! Depending on the severity, the artwork may still be salvageable. There are professionals called art restorers and conservators whose entire job is to fix these issues. Below is an example of what our gallery’s trusted art restoration professional was able to do with the damaged print a collector brought to us.

There are a couple more types of damage I aim to outline later but before that, there is another  important, non-material factor…

Almost everything I have shared with you today I learned from my trusted, professional custom framer. I would be remiss not to mention Gayle Hutchings Framing Studio, who has handled Abbozzo Gallery’s custom framing for over 20 years, alongside every single artwork I have personally collected.

Gayle Hutchings Framing Studio is emblematic of what you should look for in a framer:

(Side note: I will cover different aesthetic styles and unique ways to present framing in a later article!)

If you are looking for a framer of this caliber in another city—like Barcelona, for example—we will be sharing an Artist Ally list/map of quality local framers in an upcoming wisdom drop. If you don't know where to start, you can always reach out to us, or call a local art professional (a gallerist, consultant, or advisor). They are usually happy to share their preferred partners or even handle the process for you. Before committing, check online reviews and ask other art professionals for recommendations. As mentioned in a previous article, utilizing your community is the best way to protect yourself from poor outcomes.

Why do I place such emphasis on using a quality, professional framer? Because I have seen what happens when people don't.

Once, while walking through a big-box art supply store to pick up some archival materials, I passed by the framing department. There, I saw an amateur framer explaining to a young couple how they were going to frame their artwork. To my horror, the framer was planning to mount the artwork directly against the glass.

While this might be fine for cheap posters, fine art is highly susceptible to glazing adhesion. High-quality artworks always need a physical gap between the artwork and the glass. A professional framer will always use appropriate spacers or a mat board to create this space.

When artwork touches glass directly, moisture or condensation can get trapped inside the frame, causing the surface of the artwork to stick to the glass. If you ever try to remove the artwork later, the image layer or paper fibers will tear away, leaving part of your art permanently stuck to the glass. It is the same concept as a paper flyer left on a wet car windshield; when it dries, it fuses to the glass. In a humid, Mediterranean climate like Barcelona's, this is a critical hazard to keep in mind.

Most of the acid and UV damage examples I shared above were the direct result of amateur framers incorrectly housing the artwork.

Lastly, I wanted to share perhaps my favourite anecdotal art market horror story ever. I must admit I cannot confirm or deny (for reasons that will become clear later) whether or not this story is true, I only experienced it in passing. It is entirely plausible, as I have seen similar disasters play out in other ways—but this one is marked by immense luck followed by immense misfortune.

We had an art collector reach out to us regarding a flagship artwork of a legendary print artist our gallery had represented for 20 years, and therefore we are considered experts on the subject, hence why I believed they approached us with their query. They had acquired this artwork through an estate, and had moved around the world with it. There was an occasion when they had the work reframed at a local shop. At the request of the collector to slightly reduce the size of the frame to fit in a particular spot in their new home, the framer – obviously a reckless amateur – decided the best solution would be to literally cut down the larger sheet of the print. For absolutely bewildering reasons, the framer took the liberty of removing the signature, title, date, and edition number at the bottom of the artwork rather than simply matting over the margins (crazy in its own right) or in better practice, explaining to the collector it could not be done out of respect for the piece. Any professional framer worth their mettle would immediately know not to do this. This simple, foolish act at once disqualified the artwork of its lineage, made proof of provenance almost impossible, and rendered the artwork valueless on the secondary art market. The work itself is poignant and striking, makes a marvelous aesthetic addition to any room, and likely still holds sentimental value to the collector. However should the collector ever want to sell the artwork, no serious dealer would be able to sell it for anything. Had the framer not taken scissors to the print, literally and metaphorically, that exact artwork now fetches a market price of CAD $165,000 (~EUR € 103,000) at auction.

An expensive lesson to be learned. That being said, if you ever have questions or need guidance on how to protect your collection over time, Artist Ally is always here to help.

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