Art Reproductions: Museum And Art Galleries
Posted on June 23, 2010
Filed Under arts and entertainment |
Historically it has been very difficult to obtain an accurate art reproduction of a painting that you have seen in an art gallery or museum to hang in your home an office. For most people owning an original painting that has hung in a museum or art gallery is just not possible.
If you are like me however, you would not think of decorating your home or office with a poster reproduction of the artwork purchased from the museum or art gallery gift shop. What you want is a high quality reproduction of the original painting that captures the light and the texture of the original to hang above your fireplace or above the desk in your office. You need something that can be properly framed in a museum-quality frame and will become an heirloom piece that can be enjoyed for generations to enjoy.
Giclee art prints are extremely high-quality digital art prints produced with archival quality inks and printed on either archival fine art paper or artist’s canvas to closely replicate the original work of art. Giclee prints are often produced on the same artist’s canvas that an artist would use to paint an original painting. Giclee prints can be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Chelsea Galleries and many other leading art galleries around the world.
To make sure that your giclee print will last for generations to come, it is important to make sure that the print company uses only archival materials that have been ceritifed by the manufaturer to last for 100 years or more. This means the inks and media (paper or canvas) used to produce the prints. All giclee prints are printed mechanically using specialist printing equipment and sometimes coated with varnish by hand using an artist’s brush to create some of the brushstroke work of the original painting.
One of the wonderful things about giclee art reproduction techniques is that it is now possible to very accurately reproduce that old master painting that you saw in the art gallery or museum. This is possible largely because the art itself (due to its age) is free from copyright and is therefore in the public domain and there is no restriction on reproducing the art for a broader range of people to enjoy. So whether you would like a reproduction of a George Stubbs equine painting to hang above your fireplace, a Thomas Hart Benton street scene for your office meeting room or a Monet or Alfred Sisley impressionist landscape for your dining room, then you will be able to find a company to provide you with an accurate reproduction of such painting on canvas. When the piece is framed and a varnish brush-stroke coating has been carefully applied by the company it will be very difficult indeed to identify that the print is not an original painting.
The cost of a high-quality giclee reproduction of an old master painting is usually very reasonable. You should expect to pay around $145.00 for a sixteen inch by twenty inch canvas print reproduction, which has been stretched and is ready to frame. Often, your print company will offer to produce the print for your in a size other than the original size. It is advisable to select a print in the same of a standard pre-made frame, so that you do not need to have a custom-size frame constructed to fit your print. Your print company will be able to advise you on the best size and length-to-width proportions for the particular original you are interested in, to best maintain the look of the original.
The best way to find a company that produces quality gicle art print reproductions of museum and art gallery art is to start by searching using Google for the exact title of the painting that you like. If you do not know (or cannot remember) the exact title of the painting then I would suggest typing the artist’s name into Google. Using either technique will bring up a list of websites that offer works by that particular artist. Another good resource is to go to www.artnet.com, which provides details of original paintings that have been bought and sold and usefully includes images of each painting. If you think you remember the title of the painting but are not sure and want to confirm by looking at an image, www.artnet.com is a good way to do this quickly.
Your aim is to fine a company which has a high quality digital image of the painting that you want in their archives. You should however, check the following points with the company you are thinking of purchasing your print from before placing your order.
I have listed below a few questions you might want to ask before purchasing a giclee print: - Check that the company uses only archival inks (these can be aqueous or solvent based) when producing prints. If you are concerned about the environment you might want to check that the company uses only aqueous or eco-solvent inks. - Confirm how the company will apply the varnish coating to the canvas print. Will an artist apply it by hand to match the feel of the original piece, or will it be applied automatically by a spray machine? By hand is preferable to match the original brushwork most closely. - If you would like your print reproduced in any size other than the original size, then before placing the order for your print you should confirm how the company will adjust the print to fit your chosen size. Reputable companies should not just automatically print and ship your order in your chosen size; they should make sure that this size actually works for the original art that you have chosen. The company should have one of their artists contact you if they are concerned about your chosen size and offer suggestions and alternatives if they see any problem. If you are in any doubt, then ask the company to first email you an image of what the final print will look like in the size you have requested. You can then get a good idea of how the proportions of the piece will look in your chosen size. Of course, this is not an issue if you want the exact size of the original -Check that the company offers a 100% no-questions money-back guarantee if you are not happy with the print. -If you intend to buy a frame from the company as well, check that all the frames museum-quality. Frames should be made entirely from solid wood, rather than wood composites, polystyrene, or plastic, and if the frame has a metal finish make sure that true metal leaf is used (as opposed to foil).
Before purchasing your Canvas Print Reproductions, please take time to visit Encore Edition’s website to view our range of Antique Fine Art Prints
Leave a Reply