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Paintings
The do's and don'ts of handling paintings
Because paintings are such complex structures, it is important to understand correct handling procedures. Remember, a paint surface may receive a knock and appear to be unharmed. But over time movement in the canvas will cause this weakened area to crack. It can take a decade or longer for a crack to appear after a knock.
Handling stretched paintings and framed works
It is very difficult to properly support and protect paintings if you carry more than one at a time. It is important that you always carry only one painting at a time.
Before moving any painting:
Check that there is no flaking paint and that the work is secure in its frame.
Check that there are no loose pieces on the frame. If there are, consult a conservator.
Make sure you know where you are going with the work, and you have checked your path to make sure it is clear and all doors are open, or that there are people available to assist.
If there is flaking paint on the painting, leave it face-up and consult a conservator. If you have to move it, carry it flat and face-up, so that you don't lose any paint while you are moving.
Do not touch the canvas or the paint surface directly.
Wearing white, cotton gloves while handling paintings and frames is advisable, particularly when handling gilded frames. Gilt surfaces can be permanently marked by perspiration and oils from your skin.
If your canvas painting does not have a backboard, check that the stretcher wedges are secured. They can do a lot of damage if they fall between the canvas and the stretcher.
Always hold paintings at points where the frame is strong. Ornate frames are especially vulnerable to damage. Never grip them by any of the ornate areas of the frame, because they may not be very strong and could break.
Never carry a painting by the top of its frame or stretcher. Carry it with one hand beneath and one hand at the side; or if it is small, one hand on each side. Carrying frames from the top member is dangerous and can cause the mitres to become loose and decorative elements to dislodge.
If the work is unframed, it is better to move it using handling straps or a travelling frame. Both of these allow you to carry paintings without the need for you to touch the paint surface. If neither of these are available, then carry unframed, stretched paintings on the outer edges without touching either the front or back of the canvas. Don't allow your fingers to touch the paint surface.
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Handling straps attached to the back of a backing board.
Photograph courtesy Artlab Australia
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Don't put your fingers around the stretcher bars, or between the stretcher and the canvas, because you could cause the canvas to bulge and the paint to crack and flake in that area.
Remember to carry wrapped paintings with extra care, because you cannot see what you are touching.
Before putting a painting down on the floor, ensure that there are padded, wooden blocks or foam blocks in place where you wish to place it. These blocks provide a softer surface than the floor and keep paintings up off ground-level.
When you put the painting down, do not set it down on one corner: always set it down along one complete edge.
A large painting must be moved by two people regardless of the weight involved. Never attempt to move a large painting alone. When two people are working together, make sure you both agree on the way the painting is to be moved.
If you are moving paintings on a trolley, it is wise to have two people to accompany the loaded trolley. With two people, you have one to hold the paintings in place while the other can open doors, etc. If one person tries to do everything at once, accidents are likely to happen.
Trolleys should be padded to prevent damage to frames.
If any damage should occur during the move, carefully collect and save any pieces, no matter how small—even tiny paint flakes—and document the damage.
If you are hanging a painting, check that the hanging devices and the wall on which the painting is to be hung are secure. Paintings can be very badly damaged if they fall off the wall.
When you are framing or deframing a painting, make sure that you have a clean, padded surface on which to place both the frame and the painting.
Moving framed paintings with glazing
'Glazing' usually refers to the glass or Perspex sometimes used in framing systems for paintings.
Glazed artworks should be carried with care:
If you are transporting paintings glazed with glass, tape the front of the glass with masking tape. This will hold the pieces of the glass together, should it break, and lessen the risk of damage to the work.
The tape should be on the glass only, and should not extend onto the frame because it can remove paint or other finishes when it is removed.
For small frames, one strip of tape vertically in the centre of the glass, one horizontally and one strip of tape on each diagonal will be sufficient. Larger frames will need more.
Fold the tape back on itself at one end of each strip, to provide yourself with a grip for easier removal of the tape.
Remove the tape as soon as possible after the move. Pull the tape off at a very low angle, so that you don't make the glass flex too much. This could cause it to break. Remember, pull gently.
It is better not to tape Perspex or Plexiglas as:
the tape can be very difficult to remove; it can leave adhesive residues which cannot be cleaned away; and there is, after all, really no need to tape Perspex or Plexiglas because they won't break and shatter like glass.
Handling unstretched paintings
Not all paintings are stretched and framed. Many paintings are now sold and kept, unstretched. Because the canvas is not kept taut, these paintings are particularly vulnerable to damage caused by movement of the support.
Unstretched paintings can be quite difficult to handle. If they are allowed to flop or move too much, the paint can begin to come away from the surface of the canvas; so it is very important that unstretched paintings are well supported.
If the paintings are small enough to be moved flat, put a rigid support under them so that they can be handled easily without flopping and distorting. A sheet of Foam Cor or a strong mount board is suitable.
Larger unstretched paintings may need to be rolled to be carried, and transported.
If you are going to roll a painting it is very important that paintings are rolled the right way—painted side out—and that they are properly interleaved and the roller properly padded. If the paint layer is on the inside when the painting is rolled, the paint will become compressed and will develop creases, which will remain in the painting after it has been unrolled.
The roller should be as large as possible in diameter—at least 200mm. For example, a very large acrylic painting which travelled to the USA in the South Australian Museum's Dreamings exhibition was rolled on a roller more than one metre in diameter. The larger the painting, the larger the diameter of the roller should be.
Rollers should be covered with a layer of padding—either a polyethylene foam such as Plastazote, or Dacron wadding covered with clean white cotton fabric—to compensate for any irregularities in the painting's thickness.
It is best to roll the painting with an interleaving layer of Tyvek to prevent any transfer of pigment. The Tyvek should be larger in length and width than the painting.
The rolled and wrapped painting should be tied firmly, but not tightly, with cotton tape in several places along the roll.
Rollers can be specially made of lightweight materials, such as:
Ribloc. Ask the manufacturer to make the roller with the ribs on the inside, if possible; and PVC pipe. A 300mm diameter pipe is a good size for most works.
If you have to roll more than one painting on a roller, the paintings should be laid out flat and interleaved with Protecta Foam. Once this is done, the paintings should be rolled onto the roller all at the same time. Remember, all the paintings should be paint-side out.
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