Do you have to display oil paintings without glass?

Question

I recently purchased an oil painting from Africa. I also purchased a frame from a major art/frame store. Should I display it without the glass or does it matter?

Answer 1

An oil painting has to breathe: no glass

Answer 2

Oil Painting Under Glass

Answer 3

This is one of those questions where the answer is not really "yes" or "no". There are some very good points made in the previous posts. Most important, was someone's caution that the paint needs to breathe. Very true, especially if this was recently painted. Some people say that if paint is thick in some places, the paint will still be drying for quite a long time. For this reason, they caution us not to varnish our paintings until the paint has cured for 6 months to 1 year. There are exceptions to this caution. In some museums, we have seen a protective "covering" over a painting. My suspicion is that it is not glass, but a non-glare lexan-type of material. This is no doubt, put in place to protect the painting from any mishaps caused by public viewing. The thing to remember, is that with this sort of protective framing, the plastic (or whatever material they use), never actually touches the painting. There are perhaps what we might call "spacers", between the protective lexan material, and the painting. Such that, the protective material never touches the painting.

Hope I didn't confuse the issue too much.

I totally agree with someone's post up there, that framing without any protective barrier, allows you to experience (see) the beautiful brush strokes, and the transitions between the shadow and light areas, etc. I don't believe I have ever seen an oil painting in a gallery or home, that has had any protective barrier (glass or acrylic). Only in a Musuem.

Some art conservators (people who specialize in the care and preservation of art work) address the issue of a painting with glass. So, it is indeed an issue that comes up. Here is a typical website, for such an art conservator:

http://www.conservationregister.com/careoilpainting.asp?id=4

You can continue your search on google, by using combinations of search words such as: conservators recommendations framing paintings...or paintings framed with glass conservation advice.

congratulations on purchasing an original oil painting! With good care, you will enjoy it for many many years to come.

Answer 4

It will look better without the glass.

The most important thing you need to know, though, is that if you insist on framing it WITH glass, the glass must NOT touch the painting itself. If it does, the paint will eventually stick to the glass, and you will never be able to fix that. If you feel you need glass over an oil painting, there must be a separation of at least 1/4" between the glass and the paint film. I'll bet the frame you bought didn't have separators with it. That's because they usually have to be made by hand, by the framer.

So you see, it's much easier all around to frame it without the glass, and just use the glass for something else.

Answer 5

If you don t want your painting to become ruined over time, you should have it professionally framed with glass. This myth of not putting glass on oil paintings is actually dangerous for the art. Most sources will tell you to apply a varnish to the surface instead of protecting it with art, but the problem with varnishes is they can cause discoloration in the paint and cover up the details of the artist s work. When you leave a canvas open to the air in your house EVERYTHING in the air will get onto your canvas. Whenever you cook in the house, oils and food particulates will accumulate on it. Modern-day framing has advanced to address all of the problems mentioned in the other posts. Custom frame shops use the same materials and processes museums use. We have special glass spacers that separate the glass from the art and we offer non-glare glass that looks virtually invisible. If you are concerned about the glass shattering, there are acrylic versions of the glass that looks EXACTLY the same but is shatter resistant.If you care about the painting you should get it professionally framed and let someone well-versed in conservation framing take care of it. If you do not have any emotionally attachment to it and are okay with it fading/deteriorating over time then go ahead and frame it without glass, as that is a cheaper option. You should also make sure the oil paint has had enough time to dry before framing it, but most modern oil paints have a much quicker drying time than previous versions (6-8 weeks vs several months-years).

Answer 6

Hi,

Usually an oil painting is displayed without glass, mainly because an accident can happen and the glass my harm the painting, namely cutting the canvas (if it's on canvas).
Oil paintings under glass are usual seen on museums so that people won't touch them. The use museum/conservation glass which under proper lighting is almost «invisible».
Opposite to what was said above, conservation glass will also protect from UV. Of course that paintings in museums are under proper conditions. But I'm sure that you won't place your painting in a solarium :-)

Kind regards,

José

Answer 7

I've never seen them displayed any other way. If you encase them in glass, the painting could not breathe. Usually, an oil painting is done on canvas, and that needs to be kept aired. You don't want to spoil the painting. Watercolors are what need to be behind glass. It's a hassle, too. I do watercolors.
Grams

Answer 8

oil paintings are almost never covered in glass. Drawings on paper are usually covered in glass because they are more delicate than paintings. To expose the true beauty of the painting, don't use glass. Museums don't use glass for most oil paintings (unless they are especially famous or delicate, but even hundreds of year old paintings are not glassed)

Answer 9

Without the glass. One of the benefits of an original oil (as opposed to a print) is the visible texture, depth, and brush strokes. Glass makes it less visible.

Answer 10

It's up to you. glass will keep it from getting marked up and absorbing dirt and dust. Most oil paintings 'show' better without glass. It depends on how important the picture is to you and which way you think it looks better.