A piece that looks wonderful in the afternoon can disappear after dinner, and in a Canadian winter that's most of the hours you're home. Lighting is the cheapest way to make art you already own look better.
You don't need a gallery track system. You need the right colour of light, from the right angle, at the right brightness, and a plan for the window. Here are the rules I use.
1. What colour light is best for art?
Warm white, 2700 to 3000K, with a colour rendering index (CRI) of 90 or more. 3000K is my default: whites stay white without turning blue, and warm palettes still glow. Much above that, light starts to read as office light at home and flattens warm colours.
Every bulb has a colour temperature, printed on the box in kelvin (K). Lower is warmer and more yellow; higher is cooler and bluer.
- 2700K is the warm, slightly golden light of a traditional incandescent bulb. It suits warm palettes, wood frames and evening rooms.
- 3000K is a touch crisper and still warm. It's my default for art, because whites stay white without turning blue.
- 4000K and up reads as office light at home and flattens warm colours. I'd avoid it for art in living spaces.
Keep every light that falls on the piece at the same temperature. A 2700K lamp beside a 4000K pot light gives the art two colour casts at once.
CRI, also on the box, measures how faithfully a light shows colours compared with daylight; cheaper LEDs at 80 can make reds and skin tones look muddy.
2. How bright should art lighting be?
Brighter than the room, but not by much. The piece should look lit, not spotlit: much brighter and it looks like a shop window; barely brighter and nobody notices the light at all.
At home, a dimmer solves this. Put the art light on its own dimmer, turn it up until the piece looks lit, then back a little.
3. What size picture light do you need?
About half the frame's width, up to two-thirds for a very large piece: a 40″ (102 cm) piece suits a light of about 20 to 27″ (51 to 69 cm). Mount it centred, 2 to 4″ (5 to 10 cm) above the top edge, with the arm reaching far enough to land the light mid-piece.
A picture light mounts on the wall or the frame and washes light down across the piece: the classic answer above a sofa, a console or a fireplace.
- Tall pieces. A single picture light rarely lights the bottom of a piece taller than about 36″ (91 cm). Use a ceiling light instead, or accept a soft fall-off, which can look lovely on a landscape.
- Wiring. Plug-in versions with a cord cover or battery models avoid an electrician. Hardwired lights need a licensed electrician, and if you rent, check your lease first.
4. Where should ceiling lights for art go?
Aim adjustable pot lights or a track at the art from about 30 degrees off vertical. That puts the light about 0.58 times the drop from the ceiling to the art's centre out from the wall: roughly 23″ (58 cm) under an 8 foot ceiling with the art centred at 57″, and 29″ (74 cm) under 9 feet.
Lighting designers use that angle because it lights the face of the piece evenly, keeps the frame's shadow short, and bounces any reflection toward the floor rather than into your eyes. The arithmetic for an 8 foot (244 cm) ceiling and art centred at 57″ (145 cm): 96 minus 57 is 39″, and 39 times 0.58 is about 23″ (58 cm).
Closer to the wall than that and the light grazes the surface, which exaggerates texture and throws long shadows from the frame. That can be lovely on relief or a heavily brushed canvas, and wrong on a flat print.
5. How do you stop glare on framed art?
Move the light, not the art. Glare is a light source or a bright window bouncing off the glazing into your eyes, and it comes back at the same angle it arrives: a light at 30 degrees reflects toward the floor, while one behind you at eye level reflects straight back. Then:
- Mind the windows. A glass framed piece directly opposite a large window will mirror it in daylight. Hang glazed pieces on a wall beside the window, and put unglazed canvas opposite.
- Tilt slightly. Letting the top of the frame lean out 1 to 2 degrees, with the hanging hardware a touch lower on the back, sends reflections toward the floor.
- Choose the glazing. Anti-reflective glass or acrylic nearly removes the problem. If glare worries you, ask us about a piece's glazing before you order, or choose one with no glass at all.
6. Does sunlight fade art?
Yes. Ultraviolet light is the main cause, and visible light adds to it over years. Keep every piece out of direct sun, light it with LEDs, which give off almost no UV, and in a bright room consider UV-filtering glazing or window film. Archival pigment inks resist fading for decades indoors; they aren't immune.
Museums keep strict limits on how much light their collections see. At home the rules are simpler:
- No direct sun. Don't hang a piece where a patch of sun crosses it for part of the day. Watch the wall at a few times of day before you put the hook in; a south-facing room in winter sends sun further in than you'd think.
- LEDs are kind. Very little heat, too, unlike older halogen bulbs. If a halogen spot is aimed at a piece, an LED replacement is kinder to it.
- Pigment helps. Our made-to-order pieces are printed with archival pigment inks (Made to order, explained).
- UV-filtering glazing blocks much of the UV that reaches a framed piece. If a piece is going in a bright room, ask us about its glazing before you order.
- Blinds and window film. UV-filtering window film or sheers cut UV for the whole room, including your floors and sofa.
Next step
Light changes how a colour reads, so check the palette against your room before you buy. Try a piece on your own wall at approximate scale in Your Blank Wall, and if your wall sits opposite a big window, start with our gallery wrap canvases, which have no glass to catch the glare. Our finishes page explains each finish and how it takes light.
Questions we get asked
No. A good LED at 2700 or 3000K with a CRI of 90 or more does the job. Avoid "daylight" bulbs at 5000K and up.
Treat the group as one piece: a ceiling light or two at 30 degrees, aimed at the middle of the group, rather than a picture light on each frame. The gallery wall templates give each group's footprint to aim at.