So, you fell in love with a new contemporary piece and have brought it home to shine on your wall. What are some things that you can do to protect the value of your work? Artwork should be properly maintained; as new collectors we are a trustee of the artist’s work and must respect the pleasure that they give us in out homes. Think of the future generations who will enjoy the artwork! Paintings and sculpture are, unfortunately, often neglected and improperly maintained. Paintings can lose their vibrancy of color, develop cracking or yellowing, and all because of improper care. But it’s easy to do the right thing!

Kirk Tatom, “Near the Sea,” Oil, 2010

How will you make sure that this piece lasts for many lifetimes in your home? What are some precautions you can take to enrich the value of the work? I’ve put together a few tips for collectors, below.

• Paintings should never be displayed in direct sunlight or near a heat register. Some artworks do better in a moist environment than others. I would never recommend a watercolor piece for a bathroom, but I have many satisfied clients with oil paintings and encaustic works above their bathtubs. Bronze collectors should also be cautioned against placing their pieces in place with high humidity and should paste-wax their pieces each year to prevent tarnish and patina changes. Some patination is natural and desirable, and most works suited for the out-of-doors will do just fine in a moist environment with just a little care and protection.
• Paintings by contemporary artists (living and working in our time) are in most cases protected by a seal of “re-touch” varnish, which is only a light varnish that will not stand the test of time and deterioration. After one year, a new permanent application of varnish is required. The type of varnish to be applied at this point is debatable, but a 50/50 mixture of matte and gloss varnish is compatible with retouch varnish, and removable if needed. Always remove your painting from the frame before applying the varnish and lay it flat under even lighting for best application. Apply the varnish with horizontal strokes, in an even manner and not too thickly, and allow the painting to dry for up to 24 hours before replacing it in its frame. Of course, if you are uncomfortable with this process, hire a professional or ask your gallery for a recommendation!
• Every six months or so, take a dry cloth to your paintings to avoid excess dust and grime buildup. Never apply a product like Pledge to your frames, but dry dust those as well. I’ve assisted a few collectors with serious grime on their paintings, and have had great results; if the artist applies the right varnish to the painting, everything from dirt to dog hair can be washed off with a mild soap (like Simple Green) and the painting will look good as new. (Another option: don’t let your dogs rub up against your fine oil paintings!)
• Your artwork should always be added to your homeowner’s insurance policy, within the year of acquisition. Ask your gallery for a fine art evaluation or get a formal appraisal from a reputable appraiser. Keep records of the artist’s biography and all paperwork with the painting in a safe place. Some clients like to tape their documents to the backs of their fine art, but I discourage this practice. Tape can be quite detrimental to frames, boards, and canvas and avoid adding stickers, tape, or other gummy products to the backs of your artworks.

Michael Bingham*, “Texas,” Mixed Media, 2009

I’ve recently been fascinated with the art crime world, and wanted to find out more about what happens when art is a form of rehabilitation, rather than a commodity to be stolen and brokered. How does a criminal see, experience, and view art? Can the arts serve as rehabilitation for criminals and negligent youth? What about the safety of the artists and the protection of their craft? Just a few questions I’ve been exploring, with information on a few programs, below.

INDIAN ARTISTS

Looking to India, Delhi’s Tihar Jail has recently played host to contemporary artists, and some of India’s best known. They have launched an  initiative to use art as a way to stimulate young inmates. Devised by the Ramchander Nath Foundation (RNF) and the Ojas Art consultancy, the project has provided artist workshops and training focused on rehabilitation.

36 artists have arranged to visit the jail,  from all over the country, including many high-profile contemporary artists. Most are not well-known in the US and all have agreed to donate a work of art to the Tihar Jail, with the entire selection set to exhibit at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Art, in Delhi. The exhibition will also coincide with the launch of a film about the project and the publication of a catalog of the works, with profits from sales going towards further funding of rehabilitation programs at the jail.

JAIL ARTS PROGRAMS IN THE US

In the Bay Area, Community Works Director Ruth Morgan has developed the nationally renowned San Francisco Sheriff’s Department Jail Arts Program since 1979.  She continues to expand the Jail Arts programming, bringing a diversity of artists in a variety of disciplines into the San Francisco County Jail (and post-release facilities).  I think it’s exceptionally brave for these artists to give up their time and sense of security to give back in this raw way.

On the web, one can find many Jail Art website and sales gallery. One such is the site Art from the “Big House”, where you can find custom artwork. If interested, you can ask to have one of their artists draw a portrait of you, your loved-one, a celebrity, or even your favorite pet from a photograph that you supply. They promise that, “Our artists offer quality custom portraits at very competitive prices.”  And if you’re looking for “body art,” well, the some of the best tattoo artists are in jail.

In Michigan, The Prison Creative Arts Project (PCAP) brings original works of art to Michigan’s correctional facilities, juvenile centers, urban high schools, and communities all over the state. Their mission is to provide a process, “guided by respect and a spirit of collaboration in which vulnerability, risk and improvisation lead to discovery. [They] make possible the spaces in which the voices and visions of the incarcerated can be expressed.” The PCAP has facilitated hundreds of Collaborative Workshops in theater, creative writing, art, dance, music and video, each culminating in a final performance, reading or exhibits. View the testimony and feedback  here.

*Michael Binghanis an upstanding citizen, is not a criminal, and (as far as I know) has never been in jail.

Quite a lot has been written about the worth of art. There are whole books devoted to the matter (and a personal favorite? The Worth of Art by Judith Benhamou- it’s a great gift). But as “valuable” as the diamond studded skull “For the Love of God” by Damian Hirst may be, I don’t want it in my house. It makes me a little sick to look at it. Instead,  I want to surround myself with beautiful things, with pieces I adore and art that has meaning to me. There is a quality that I look for in fine art, and it must pass that test in order to be worthy of space in my home.

Only you can decide what that quality is you are looking for. You have to be discerning and educate yourself about what is out there. One of the best parts of working in a gallery is discovering each and every person’s definition of their own qualifications and desires for fine art. Tastes are subjective! John Keats described art in terms of its most important value, quality: “A thing of beauty if a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; and it will never pass into nothingness.”

Your pieces of art will last lifetimes if you curate a collection of beauty, as defined by you alone. The market is up, the market is down. No matter how the economy stands, surround yourself with the things that you love and you make the best possible investment: an investment in yourself.