National Museum of Asian Art – Smithsonian Institution Light Duration Guidelines for Exhibited Works of Art
The following guidelines were written by members of the Department of Conservation and Scientific Research and the Curatorial Department to establish a procedure for determining the length of time that works of art may be safely exhibited, providing for a balance of public access with long-term preservation.
- UV light in galleries is either completely blocked or will not exceed 75mW/L.
- Objects in poor condition in categories A – C may need their exposure duration or level curtailed as determined on a case by case basis by conservation assessment.
- The light category for an object is determined by its most sensitive material component.
- Exposure duration records for each object will be kept updated in TMS.
- If display time for an object is extended past exposure duration limit, there will be an extended rest time to compensate.
| CATEGORY | MATERIALS | EXPOSURE DURATION LIMIT |
MAXIMUM LIGHT LEVEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| A |
|
3 months over 5 years |
50 LUX (5 footcandles) |
| B |
|
6 months over 5 years |
50 LUX (5 footcandles) |
| C |
|
12 months over 5 years |
50-100 LUX (5-10 footcandles) |
| D |
|
24 months over 5 years |
50-150 LUX (5-15 footcandles) |
| E |
|
Unlimited | 300 LUX (30 footcandles) |
National Museum of Asian Art- Smithsonian Institution Light Duration Guidelines For Exhibited Photographs
| CATEGORY | MATERIALS | EXPOSURE DURATION LIMIT |
MAXIMUM LIGHT LEVEL |
|---|---|---|---|
| A |
|
3 months over 5 years |
50 LUX (5 footcandles) |
| B | 6 months over 5 years |
50 LUX (5 footcandles) |
|
| C |
|
12 months over 5 years |
50-100 LUX (5-10 footcandles) |
*Anything that is hand colored, has a tinted base or Baryta layer, is on colored paper or mount, has other components should be in category A
Direct thermal transfer (type D1T1) and Autochromes should never be displayed- facsimile only.
