How to light art and other paintings in your home – Part 2: Choosing a Light Fitting

Buying lighting can be a confusing process full of technical jargon and scientific acronyms. Fortunately, it doesn’t need to be scary. I’ve broken down what you need to look for in the CHEAT SHEET below. if you’re interested in finding out what these words mean then read on and I’ll explain.

The best lighting for artwork should have the following properties:

• LED Light Source
• 2000 to 5000 lumens
• CRI 90+
• CCT of 4000K
• Dimmable driver (optional – but nice to have)

Read on as we explain what this means and how it will affect your artwork

Types of Lighting

When we talk about lighting artwork in a space it’s important to consider two types of lighting separately that is the general lighting which will provide the base light level in the room and then the specialist lighting which I’m going to assume you’re installing specifically to like the artwork.

In terms of specialist lighting fixtures would typically be looking at products such as track lighting all washes or wall sconces projectors, and Kimball downlights. what these lights all have in common is the ability to Mount on the ceiling but provide directional and deliberate light on to a particular area of the wall (hopefully with the painting is going).

some examples of these lights as shown below.

Fixture Styles

If you’re not happy with how your current fixtures are illuminating your artwork, you can easily install new fixtures and lamps or hire someone to do it. These are the types of fixtures you should consider:

• Picture lights – Mounted to the frame or directly above it, these classic lamps come in a wide variety of styles and create an intimate type of accent lighting.
• Track lighting – If you have the wall or ceiling space for it, track lighting is the best way to go. It offers the most flexibility in case you change your mind about artwork placement later because you can easily add and remove lights or move their position.
• Recessed lights – Recessed lights are less flexible than track lighting, but easier to conceal if you don’t mind committing to the location. There are a few different ways to utilize recessed lighting when illuminating your artwork, including using wall washers to bath the entire wall in light or a more concentrated spotlight with a directed beam.

Types of Lamp

Up until a few years ago this wasn’t really up for debate. Specialist lighting and gallery’s would generally be halogen lamps because they were the only technology capable of providing the high-quality light required. now with the advancement in LED technology we’ve seen halogen lamps almost disappear in favor of newer cheaper and longer lasting LED alternatives.

Types of lighting available

Light Source	Pros	Cons
Halogen
Tungsten Filament
Compact Flourescent
LED	Energy Efficeny Light Quality Price

Lumen Output (lm)

The power of a light is described either by the wattage or the lumen output. now because the wattage doesn’t take into account the efficiency off the light, you’re much better to look it’s lumen output to get an idea of how bright that light is going to be.

lumen outputs for residential low commercial lighting my range anywhere from a couple of 100 lumens all the way up to and exceeding 10,000.

to figure out the number of lumens required to light the artwork in your room you going to need to think about how bright the room is currently being lit, how big the area is your lighting and how far away the light source is from the painting.

Because you’re trying to ‘accent’ the art we’re going to want to light it brighter than the sounding walls. Galleries typically will set this light to be 2-3 times the brightness of the surrounding wall. This may seem like a lot but in reality our eyes perceive the brightness of light logarithmically. That means that even if something is twice as bright, it will only appear to us as around 6% brighter. 3 times as bright will appear ~10% brighter.

Colour Rendering Index (CRI)

Color rendering describes the way in which individual colors appear under a light source. white lights is made up of all different colors of light superimposed on top of each other. to make perfect white light would need all these individual colors of the spectrum to be of the same energy. however, in reality, light sources Heather intrinsic bias that makes certain wavelengths (colors) off light different energies. this means that while the light may appear white it’s not going to render the colors underneath it the same.

the CRI or color rendering index is used to quantify how well each of these component colors are represented. normal lights may have a CR eye of 70 or 80. flighting art we really care about reproducing these colors perfectly. this means we should look for a light that’s rated to BCR I-90 plus.

Colour Temperature (CCT)

Have you noticed that the lights in your home have a warm orange tinge, the lights in your office a bright clean white, in the lights at the sports stadium must look blue. all these lights are still producing white light but what you’re noticing here is the color temperature.

Color temperature is measured in degrees Kelvin typically SP ranges from as low as 2700 which produces a warm orange light all the way up to 6500 which is noticeably blue and cold.

for lighting artwork we want our light to be as neutral and pure as possible. the sweet spot is around 4000 Kelvin.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s an artsafe bulb and do I need one?

When it comes to lighting art there are three enemies: heat, infrared, and ultraviolet light. Certain types of light, including natural sunlight, contain some, if not all, of these elements. Over time can damage your art; causing it to fade, crack, and peel.

Art Safe Lighting or Art Lighting is lighting that has been designed and tested to ensure it doesn’t emit any of these properties in quantities that will damage your art.

But ready for the good news? LEDs win out against all three of these. As long as your painting is installed away from harsh sunlight, and in a room that doesn’t get too hot, you won’t need to worry about your lighting affecting your art over the years.

Are LEDs safe for artwork?

LEDs are the best choice when it comes to lighting paintings and artwork. They don’t emit heat, and produce very low amounts of infrared and ultraviolet light. They also typically last for 70,000 to 100,000 hours which means you’ll probably never need to replace they. LEDs are also 3 times as energy efficient as halogens and twice as energy efficient as compact fluorescents

But ready for the good news? LEDs win out against all three of these. As long as your painting is installed away from harsh sunlight, and in a room that doesn’t get too hot, you won’t need to worry about your lighting affecting your art over the years.

What is the best light bulb for aritsts – what light bulb should I use in my studio?

The key for studiolighting is to have high uniformity and high brightness as  the work being conducted is extremely details oriented. The Australia and new zelaand indoor lighting standards (as/NZS1680 recommend 600lx for this type of work.

I want to swap out my light bulbs. What light bulb do you recommend?

Xx

There is a wide selection of bulbs available, and the type you purchase will depend on base, wattage, and size as it relates to your existing fixture. However, we cannot end our light bulb segment without providing two of the bulbs we most highly recommend:

I wan’t to install new lighting. What fixtures do you recommend?

Xx

Recommended Ceiling-Mounted Lighting Fixtures

The most common way to effectively light artwork is to install a ceiling fixture which focuses on an individual painting. Most fixtures allow you to use the bulb type of your choice, so you are free to use the fixture that most aligns with the aesthetics of your home. When you point the bulb at the painting, focus on highlighting the center of attention within the painting.

Here are our favorite ceiling-mounted lighting fixtures:

If you are hanging a favorite piece in your home or office for an extended period, ceiling-mounted fixtures are an excellent way to light up your painting. 

8. Avoid Natural Light

Placing artwork in direct sunlight exposes it to UV and infrared light, which will cause it to fade. Make sure pieces are positioned away from strong natural light sources to avoid damage.