Creating Visual Impact with Strategic Gallery Lighting 

When lighting an art gallery, there are three primary things to keep in mind. First is that you need to protect the artwork from damage by harmful UV rays. Second, you want to highlight and accentuate the color, texture, and shape of your exhibits, whether they are paintings, photographs, drawings, sculptures, or mixed media. Last but not least, the right lighting can help set the mood and atmosphere that you hope to achieve in your gallery. Read on to learn how to find the perfect balance of lighting options to showcase your collection.

Protecting and Preserving Your Art Collection

Natural light (daylight) streaming in through windows will show colors truly and can help your gallery feel open, spacious, and modern. But it’s important to remember that direct sunlight can damage your collection, because harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays cause discoloration and fading – particularly in papers, paint, inks, photographs, dyes, and pigments. So it’s best to avoid direct sunlight, in order to protect and preserve your artwork. 

 

When selecting artificial light sources, bear in mind that incandescent and halogen bulbs also emit UV rays, so you might want to consider LED bulbs – which are not only safer for your artwork, they also use up to 90% less electricity and do not need to be replaced for years.  

Layering Light in Art Galleries

Drawn from interior design best practices, “layering” is a helpful approach to creating the right effects with lighting. By incorporating and layering three kinds of lighting – ambient, task, and accent – you can enable your gallery’s visitors to see the art clearly, help create the atmosphere you want in your space, and highlight key products.

Ambient Lighting in Galleries

Ambient lighting is another word for the general light that fills your space. The best strategy for ambient light is to bring soft and diffused light throughout the gallery. If the lighting is too dim, it can be hard for viewers to engage with the beautiful details of the art. Too bright, and it can overwhelm the space as well as strain the eyes of visitors. 

Lovely ambient light can be created with chandeliers, which bring an upscale vibe to the gallery. Because chandeliers come in a tremendous range of styles and sizes, you can choose a fixture that is elaborate and elevated, industrial and modern, or even European Gothic, helping set the visual tone for your space. If the ambiance of your gallery is not suited to a chandelier, then take a look at pendant lights: they take up less overhead space, but still make a stunning visual statement.

Another option is recessed lighting, also known as can lights or downlights. Installed as a grid in the ceiling, these shine evenly around the room, creating a base layer of brightness. A lighting design professional can help ensure that you are spacing the installation of recessed lights correctly, so you only leave dark corners or shadows where you want them.

Task and Accent Lighting in Galleries

Task lighting is used in galleries to draw the eye to particular displays, as well as to provide focused illumination in work areas. Task lighting can also be used to guide visitors along pathways through the gallery, drawing visitors to certain pieces by making them visual focal points. Accent lighting, on the other hand, individually singles out a special piece. Throughout the remainder of this article, we’ll explore different options for task and accent lighting – from track lighting to spotlights and more – so you can find fixtures that will work hand in hand with the ambient light. 

Fixtures for Task and Accent Lighting in Galleries

In any gallery, the goal is to highlight an artifact’s beauty. By using a blend of higher and lower intensity light sources, the surface of an artwork comes to life, enhancing shape and texture to bring out its brilliance. 

Track Lighting Systems 

Track lights are popular in galleries around the world because they don’t take up much space and can be adjusted to shine focused light on featured artwork. These are typically understated fixtures, allowing the art to be the center of attention. And because they can easily be adjusted to shine in different directions, when you rotate collections you do not need to move the fixtures. As a general rule, for every 3 foot 3 inch of wall space that you want to be lit, you will need around the same length of track and one track light, although if the ceilings in your gallery are high, you might need to adjust accordingly. 

Adjustable Spotlights 

Spotlights are well suited for galleries because, like track lights, they can be installed onto a wall or ceiling and then angled to illuminate a particular piece. Since they cast a more intense light, their narrow beams can create drama in a dim exhibition space. However, it is important to keep in mind that if the art being featured has a glossy finish or is framed behind glass, spotlights may not be the best option, as they can cause distracting reflections on the surface.

Picture Lights

Another option that is a classic choice for galleries is picture lights, which can be installed on the wall above the art and directed to shine downward, or even mounted on the frame itself. Each piece of artwork can have its own picture light, adjusted at the perfect angle, to bring direct illumination that invites viewers in for a closer look. 

Wall Wash Lights 

Another way to create visual drama and help bring a variety of light sources into your space is with wall wash lighting. These fixtures illuminate a vertical surface with even and uniform brightness, and can be used to bring attention to your gallery’s entrance as well as walls displaying larger artwork. Whether you choose a minimalist option, an exquisitely designed wall sconce, or a wall washer specifically designed to cast a subtle glow, these will enhance the atmosphere of your gallery as well as serving the functional purpose of highlighting the pieces on display.

Positioning Lights in Galleries for Maximum Impact 

The smart use of a variety of lower and higher intensity narrow beams can also enhance the beauty of your exhibit. Narrow beams bring a focused brightness, calling attention to a specific artwork. You can also position wider beams of light so they intersect along the length or height of a wall, giving uniform light distribution.

When positioning a light fixture to shine directly on a piece of art, a good rule of thumb is to use a 30-degree angle in order to minimize glare. If you are lighting an oil painting, textile, or sculpture with a lot of texture, subtract 5 degrees from that angle, which will create slight shadows without distracting from the art itself.

The Importance of Color Rendering in Gallery Lighting

Choosing the right color temperature of light in your gallery is another critical consideration, because you want light with a color temperature that accentuates, rather than diminishes, the art’s natural colors. 

The color temperature of all light bulbs is measured in Kelvins, ranging from 1,000 to 10,000. The lower ranges give off light that is warm, with hues that have a slight tint of red, orange, or yellow – and so are ideally suited for enhancing traditional art. Cooler temperatures (above 4,000 kelvins) are similar to daylight, and are often better for contemporary pieces. Most lighting designers recommend a 3,000 kelvin color temperature for galleries, as it helps shape a relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. 

Another important factor to consider is an artificial light source’s Color Rendering Index, or CRI – a measurement of how well the light shows colors. At a value of 0, all colors look the same; at 100 colors appear as true as they would in natural sunlight. An artificial light can never attain a value of 100, but a CRI value of 80 or above is considered good for showcasing colors, while a value of 95 is best.  

Many LED bulbs are available in color-tunable versions, so you can vary both the color and brightness of the light. This gives you tremendous flexibility in ensuring that your artwork is lit as you desire, as well as letting you increase or decrease the intensity of the light based on the time of day. 

 

Find the Perfect Lighting for Your Art Gallery

At Visual Comfort, we have a wide range of ceiling lights, track lights, spotlights, picture lights, sconces, and much more to help bring your gallery space to life and feature the artwork in it beautifully. Visit visualcomfort.com to get started.

FAQs

Why is direct sunlight not the best option for art?

The UV rays in sunlight can degrade and damage art, so it is critical to keep paintings, textiles, and even photography and some sculptures out of direct sunlight. You also want to avoid direct and intense brightness from artificial light that produces UV rays, such as incandescent and halogen bulbs.

What is the ideal angle for lighting artwork?

To minimize both shadows and glare, position lights to shine on your artwork at a 30 degree angle. If the artwork is textured, such as an oil painting or textile, then decrease this angle by 5 degrees to show it in its best light. 

What are the best bulbs for lighting artwork?

LED light bulbs are a popular choice for lighting artwork, because they do not emit harmful UV rays that can deteriorate the piece. They also use 90% less energy than other bulbs and do not need to be replaced for years, saving you time and hassle. Additionally many LED bulbs can be adjusted in both color temperature and brightness, so you can fine-tune them to complement your artwork.