Art2Arts Artist Lisa Vallo

If you’ve started to amass quite a collection of artwork and want to free up a little wall space ready for a new edition, you might want to consider storing some of your other pieces until you’ve found a new spot for them.

Doing this to reduce the risk of damage is essential if you want to keep your collection in tip-top condition. Here are a few expert tips on how and where to safely store your precious artwork.

Packing canvasses

Packing canvas artwork differs slightly from framed pieces as the front is exposed to the elements and not protected with a sheet of glass. Therefore, you’ll want to protect the front with a sheet of silicone release paper to safeguard the colours and front against scratches before wrapping the whole piece with glassine paper.

Once this has been done, use two pieces of hardboard to sandwich the piece before wrapping in bubble wrap or a large clean blanket to help protect the edges.

Temperature matters

Once your artwork has been correctly packed ready for storage, you’ll need to select an area in your home that isn’t subject to changes in temperature and humidity. Such changes could result in your artwork canvas to stretching or slackening with the paint beginning to flake in extreme circumstances.

Therefore, it’s a good idea to seek out an area of your home that has no more than 55% humidity and temperatures no higher than 21 degrees Celsius if you want to keep your artwork in pristine condition while in storage.

Cellars and lofts are seldom a good storage space for artwork due to temperature and humidity fluctuations, so try to find another area instead.

Airing

If you intend to store your artwork for the foreseeable future, it’s always a good idea to air the piece every 18 months to ensure that no damage has occurred. This is known as airing and also gives you the opportunity to free the piece from any tiny dust particles that may have infiltrated the packing materials used. It will also stop any build-up of grime over the long term.

You can ensure that your artwork hasn’t been damaged by mould caused by humidity during this quick check and even replace the old packing materials just in case they might have started to perish during the storage period.

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