Whether you own an art gallery or are looking to light that Picasso you just purchased (you lucky dog), Lighting art takes special consideration. Though not exhaustive, these considerations can be boiled down to the three C’s: Conservation, Color and Cost. 

Conservation

Traditional halogen or incandescent lights can slowly degrade a work of art over time. In the past, highly sensitive materials such as photographs, silks, or certain types of paint needed special filters or dim lighting to preserve them for posterity. LED light excludes both infrared and ultraviolet rays, protecting art from degradation. In addition, LEDs can be dimmed without losing any color fidelity, making them ideally suited for light-sensitive art.

Color

Speaking of color, while there is some disagreement over the ideal color temperature for displaying art, there is no disagreement that today’s LEDs offer superior color rendering capabilities. In general, experts agree that white light (5000K-5300K) is the best light for art—so that the hue of the light source skews neither too warm (reddish-orange), nor too cool (bluish). In contrast to color temperature, CRI measures the ability of a light source to faithfully produce color. LEDs with a CRI of 95+ are the best option for displaying art.

Cost

When considering cost, it’s important to think long-term: LEDs have unprecedented longevity, so that LEDs can last up to 50,000 hours versus 3,000 for halogen lamps. Factor in the cost of maintenance (some art gallery lights can be notoriously difficult to replace or change out) and LEDs are the clear winner.

In a study conducted at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, net LED energy savings were $19,041 over a 10 year period.  To browse Led Lighting options for displaying art, see LED Track Lighting, LED Linear Recessed Lighting, and Adjustable LED Recessed Lighting.

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