Lighting of artworks is one of our specialties

Proper lighting of works of art is a specialized area of expertise. Our careful approach to illumination takes into account curatorial research and standards for different artistic media, while striving to bring out the full beauty of your collection.

Luxe Lumens will bring you closer to seeing the artist’s original intention by helping to reveal nuances of colour and other subtle details in your art and photographic works, while minimizing glare and unwanted reflections.

A light source's "colour rendering index" indicate the extent to which it enables viewers to accurately view colours. Some types of light sources will enhance certain colours, while others can heighten your ability to perceive and fully experience colours across a wide spectrum.

11 Grimshaw evening glow

 

Superior lighting rewards the artwork's viewer by revealing nuances of colour and other subtle details.

(“Evening Glow” by John Atkinson Grimshaw, ca. 1884. Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT.)

If you treasure a particular work, you want to enjoy it in the present, as well as to preserve it for posterity. While heightening the viewer’s appreciation of the piece, we will also help ensure that your art will not inadvertently suffer cumulative, irreparable harm.

13 Constable drawing

 

We will work hard to help ensure that your art can be fully enjoyed not only now but also in the future.

(“Male Nude” by John Constable, 1808. Graphite and white gauche on beige laid paper. Courtesy of the Yale Center for British Art, New Haven, CT.)

Continuous heat (IR light) from a nearby light source may cause degradation and cracking of paint. This is one reason why traditional over-the-painting fixtures are not recommended. (Sub-optimal angles are another reason.)

A dire enemy of most artworks and textiles, UV light (from sunlight and many lamps):

  • causes media, dyes and pigments to fade or change colour
  • damages organic materials such as resins, waxes and paints
  • can cause surface powdering
  • is a catalyst for photochemical deterioration of paper, which can weaken, discolour and embrittle cellulose fibres.

12 Yoshitoshi

 

Artworks on paper or fabric are especially vulnerable to UV damage from unfiltered sunlight and improper artificial lighting.

(“Narihira & Nijo no Tsubone at Fuji River” by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1882. Colour woodblock print. Courtesy of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA.)

To protect your valuable artwork and textiles from UV damage, we may also suggest custom solutions for your windows, specific types of glass for use in picture frames, and retrofitting filters for existing light fixtures.

Sculptural works typically are not vulnerable to damage from excessive light levels or UV exposure, but careful lighting will allow viewers to better appreciate the forms and textures that originally drew you to add those pieces to your collection. Shadow and negative space are, of course, part of our lighting vocabulary.

10 Martin Blank lotus

 

A sculpture made of translucent materials comes alive when properly lit.

(Martin Blank, “Lotus”, hot sculpted glass, 2007. Courtesy of: the artist; Martin Blank Studios Inc., Seattle, Wash.; Sandra Ainsley (lighting & photography); and Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto.

 

 

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