Art Health in the Tropics

Experts offer advice on keeping your art treasures safe and healthy in tropical climes

WRITTEN BY CHRIS FASOLINO

When archaeologist Howard Carter frst gazed into the tomb of the young pharaoh Tutankhamen, he was excited to see the light of his fickering candle refecting upon golden artifacts that had lain hidden for millennia. Asked whether he saw anything, he answered, “Yes, wonderful things!”

For experts in the feld of art conservation today, such experiences can represent a paradox of their profession. The amazing preservation of ancient artifacts from sites in Egypt’s Valley of Kings is due in large part to the dry, dark conditions in which they were sealed. Yet, during the long centuries between King Tut’s entombment and

Howard Carter’s exclamation, no one had enjoyed, or even seen, these “wonderful things.”

Jeronimo Perez of South Florida Art Conservation in West Palm Beach sees such historical examples as highlighting the balancing act between preserving art, as the Egyptian tombs did almost perfectly, and “living with it.”

And that balancing act includes special challenges in a tropical climate, with its hazards of humidity, mold and hurricanes.

Two experts from Vero Beach Museum of Art (VBMA) share their experiences with art conservation in a tropical climate during an interview with Tropical Home. Jim Liccione, conservator in collections, and Matthew Mangold, chief preparator, have seen many climate-related hazards to artwork, including hurricanes. Last autumn, Hurricane Irma posed a threat to the sculpture gardens at VBMA.

“We try to bring as much of the work as we can indoors” when a hurricane threatens, Liccione says. Sculptures that are on permanent display outdoors and could not be brought inside were protected with Tyvek covers as the museum prepared for the storm. Tyvek is a lightweight, synthetic material, manufactured by DuPont, that is used frequently to protect buildings during construction. It is extremely strong and completely waterproof; however, one of the Tyvek covers blew off, and Deborah Butterfeld’s “Saltbox” — a bronze statue of a horse approximately 7 feet high — suffered damage to its surface patina.

“That type of wind and rain did compromise the patina,” Liccione says, calling for a specialized restoration process which he and the VBMA team undertook. The process involved removing oxidation and damage on the patina, with the goal of bringing the sculpture “back to life the way it was.” Such specialized workmanship calls upon Liccione’s education at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, in Milan, Italy. There, he had the opportunity to work on the restoration of ancient Roman bronzes.

Art conservation in the tropics can be a challenge even without a hurricane on the horizon, due to heat and humidity, as well as the related problem of mold. “I have seen a painting left in a humid place, and the overglaze was damaged,” Liccione says. Mangold affrms that mold is a big problem in the tropics, along with the fact that “some microscopic organisms will feed off the pigment” on paintings. “Pigments weren’t always synthetic; some are naturally derived proteins,” and, as such, they can be fed upon by certain microorganisms.

Today, the problems of heat, humidity and mold are mitigated by climate control; but the experts stress the importance of consistency. In order to preserve works of art, Mangold says, it is important to have “stability of climate control. Consistency allows for stability.” Controlling relative humidity properly will prevent the emergence of mold and microorganisms. Since warm air holds more water, there is a balancing act between temperature and humidity. Wood requires some moisture, so overly dry conditions are also damaging. A balance is required to avoid extremes in either humidity or aridity. “Our museum keeps it at 50 percent humidity and 70 degrees Fahrenheit,” says Mangold.

For outdoor sculpture, salt air is a signifcant problem. “If you have expensive sculpture outdoors,” Liccione says, “then once every four weeks, wash off the salt using a mild soap. If it’s a bronze piece, we use Renaissance Wax,” a microcrystalline wax developed by the British Museum.

It is also wise to think about conservation when deciding where to display a work of art. When hanging a painting, Liccione notes, it can be a mistake to choose a spot “in very bright light or in direct sunlight.” And while not strictly a tropical hazard, the traditional place- ment of a painting over a freplace can pose a problem if the freplace is active, since the painting will absorb smoke.

Jeronimo Perez, in West Palm Beach, relates an experience involving another hazard of display location. A client had a framed print hanging in his condo, and he complained that the paper was rippling. “They lived in a condo right on the ocean, and the owner liked to keep doors and windows open for sea breezes,” Perez recalls, adding wryly, “You’ve got to pick: Do you like your breeze, or do you like your painting to be fat?” To keep the print from rippling under these conditions, a closed box — “a sealed system” — would be required. Such a system involves the use of archival-quality materials and multiple layers of protection, like “a frame within a frame.” Of course, the more elaborate system would mean a higher cost. “There is a solution for everything,” Perez says, but it often requires an investment.

In addition to the thoughtful selection of a display location, the use of a dust sheet can also help preserve a painting. Liccione recommends that the back of a painting should have a dust sheet, sometimes called a dust shield or a backing board, to help protect the canvas.

Cleaning a painting is a specialized skill. While the museum does not handle private clients, Liccione emphasizes the importance of fnding a qualifed professional. “Don’t attempt to clean the painting yourself — have a professional do that.”

John Stringer, of J.M. Stringer Gallery in Vero Beach, mentions another challenge for art conservation in the tropics: the transportation of works of art to a new tropical home from a northern home. This often occurs when people frst buy a home in Florida and are transporting some of their artwork to their new residence. The art is being moved between climates, and it can be “a big change of climates,” Stringer notes. As a result, moisture may cause the canvas of a painting to become loose, in which case it would need to be re-stretched by a professional.

Careful transportation is vital for works of art. Again, professional expertise is recommended. “Get someone who is expert in moving,” Stringer advises — specifcally, in moving works of art. Techniques such as placing cardboard between canvases (“Cardboard is a great friend.”) and packing works of art in boxes that can be strapped down in the truck are among the methods a mover might employ.

Perez also understands the risks, and the need for great care, in moving works of art. “Common sense is the most important thing. We see more pieces get damaged in transportation — human error will damage a work more in a second than hanging it on the wall for thirty years.”

Perez also expresses concern about works of art that are kept in a Florida home unattended while owners who are “snowbirds” are spending time up North. “It is important to maintain climate control even if people are away,” he emphasizes.

Perez, who hails from Madrid, Spain, and taught art conservation for years at the University of Granada, has given thought to the philosophical questions behind art conservation. Entropy is a law of physics, he says, and though “we fght time as much as we can,” deterioration cannot be completely avoided. Ironically, Perez notes, the best way to preserve a work of art would be to seal it off completely — like the artifacts in the Egyptian tombs. However, that would be at the cost of enjoying the work now. “You can ask a cynical question, ‘Are the people in the future more important than me?’” That is, should a work of art be preserved for the future at the cost of present-day appreciation? Of course, for a very valuable work, Perez suggests, “You might get a replica made, and keep the original in a vault.”

Along with his sense of perspective about time, Perez also offers some common-sense advice about the importance of stable climate control to preserve works of art as much as possible — advice that echoes that of Liccione and Mangold. “Talking about how to conserve anything, the most important thing we’ve found is that the more stable the environment, the better,” Perez says. That is certainly the case when it comes to protecting and preserving artwork amidst the vagaries of a tropical environment. ❂