Art exhibition

An important distinction is noted between those exhibits where some or all of the works are for sale, normally in private art galleries, and those where they are not.

The Biennale is a large exhibition held every two years, often intending to gather together the best of international art; there are now many of these.

The Paris Salon, open to the public from 1737, rapidly became the key factor in determining the reputation, and so the price, of the French artists of the day.

The Royal Academy in London, beginning in 1769, soon established a similar grip on the market, and in both countries artists put great efforts into making pictures that would be a success, often changing the direction of their style to meet popular or critical taste.

These exhibitions received lengthy and detailed reviews in the press, which were the main vehicle for the art criticism of the day.

Critics as distinguished as Denis Diderot and John Ruskin held their readers attention by sharply divergent reviews of different works, praising some extravagantly and giving others the most savage put-downs they could think of.

As the academic art promoted by the Paris Salon, always more rigid than London, was felt to be stifling French art, alternative exhibitions, now generally known as the Salon des Refusés ("Salon of the Refused") were held, most famously in 1863, when the government allowed them an annex to the main exhibition for a show that included Édouard Manet's Luncheon on the Grass (Le déjeuner sur l'herbe) and James McNeill Whistler's Girl in White.

These fairs became extremely important to galleries, dealers and publishers as they provided the possibility of worldwide distribution.

This American fair met with fierce opposition by those galleries interested in maintaining distribution channels for European artwork already in place.

Although preservation issues are often disregarded in favor of other priorities during the exhibition process, they should certainly be considered so that possible damage to the collection is minimized or limited.

In particular, when exhibited items are archival artifacts or paper-based objects, preservation considerations need be emphasized because damage and change in such materials is cumulative and irreversible.

The main concerns of exhibition environments include light, relative humidity, and temperature.

Light wavelength, intensity, and duration contribute collectively to the rate of material degradation in exhibitions.

[7] The intensity of visible light in the display space should be low enough to avoid object deterioration, but bright enough for viewing.

[8] An items level of toleration will depend on the inks or pigments being exposed and the duration of the exhibition time.

Blue wool standards cards can also be utilized to predict the extent to which materials will be damaged during exhibits.

[10] Fluorescent lamps, common in most institutions, may be used only when they produce a low UV output and when covered with plastic sleeves before exhibition.

[12] It is recommended that high-quality facsimiles of especially delicate or fragile materials be displayed in lieu of originals for longer exhibitions.

Examples of evaluative criteria to be used in deeming materials suitable for use in exhibit display could be the potential of contact-transfer of harmful substances, water solubility or dry-transfer of dyes, the dry-texture of paints, pH, and abrasiveness.

[13] Separating certain materials from the display section of an exhibition case by lining relevant surfaces with an impermeable barrier film will help protect items from damage.

[15] Instead, photo corners, polyethylene, or polyester film straps may hold the object to the support.

For objects that need to be hung (and that may require more protection than lightweight polyester film), matting would be an effective alternative.

Because exhibited items are often of special interest, they demand a high level of security to reduce the risk of loss from theft or vandalism.

In addition, cases may be glazed with a material that hinders penetration and that when broken does not risk shards of glass falling on the exhibits.

[20] Finally, the exhibition is best protected when equipped with intruder alarms, which can be fitted at entry points to the building and internal areas.