OT - exhibiting photos without glass

Does anyone exhibit photographs either at home or in a gallery

framed, but without glass. When I buy a frame I just through the

glass away because it's too hard to clean, too easy to break,

moisture builds up under the glass, and the photograph just looks

better without glass over it. If paintings are always displayed

without glass, why should easy to reproduce prints be protected?

It is harder to frame, but easier to keep clean in the long run. You may also get uv protection with certain glass and/or plastic and it limits airborn polution interaction.

 

It also looks more profesional unless you have pro-portraits finished to look like oil paintings.

Easy to reproduce? Boy, you must not do darkroom work. I'd like you to work with me in the dark, printing 16x20", fibre paper, juggling half a dozen large trays, chemistry, a large easel, squeege and drying racks. If my prints are not behind UV plexi in frames, they're in archival storage boxes where they belong. Mary

Even if prints were easy to reproduce if you sold or gave a print to someone you would want it to last. If a print is matted/mounted using archival materials and then framed the glass helps to keep out unwanted pollutants from damaging the print. Also I've never seen moisture build up under the glass.

Moisture is a great concern in some climates, not at all in others. Professional framers and galleries take that into consideration.

 

Paintings are relatively easy to restore after centuries of cigarette smoke and aerial bacon fat. Photos are very difficult to restore. If your prints do not need to live forever (mine don't) and if you aren't worried about their short term condition...and if you don't think glass would add perceived value...don't frame with glass.

 

IMO flush-mounting on masonite with floaters is very attractive and appropriate for decorative and museum situations, though of course those prints are not considered "art objects."

I have one 11x14 print that's probably about 40 years old and framed without glass. It has several coats of lacquer on it and seems to be holding up OK. It's flush mounted and goes right to the frame. I ptrefer the look of a matted print and with matts glass is required.

Sanford-- years ago, at the Camera Obscura gallery in Denver, I saw framed prints which appeared to have no glass. The gallery owner explained that it is a new type of anti-glare glass which is virtually invisible. Sure enough, when I touched the picture, expecting to feel the smooth fibre print, there was actually glass in front of it. He said that it cost about $40 for a small size, I think 16x20, but that may be worth it to you. As others have mentioned, the glass helps protect the print from airborne nasties.

Bill, people spitting would be 'without class'.

 

Gup.

Al,

 

Can you elaborate more on the technique of framing a photo without glass by adding lacquer on it and such ? I find the idea interesting.

Glass is available with an anti-reflective coating that to a large extent makes it almost invisible. I've seen it offered in our local (Providence, RI, Boston, MA.) custom frame shops and in at least one of the chain stores. I think store I saw it in was called "Corners-the picture framing super store" and I believe it's sold as "museum glass".

 

Hope this helps.

Stephen

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Paintings displayed without glass are typically oil or acrylic on canvas. Watercolors, on paper, are almost always displayed behind glass. Materials make a big difference so the analogy is wrong.

In the contemporary art world, photos are frequently displayed without glass (often flush

mounted on aluminum, perspex, MDF etc). It is normal to laminate such prints - a

professional job which involves bonding an invisible plastic film to the print surface.

Laminates come in a matt or glossy finish. They protect the print from atmospheric

pollutants and UV. If the print gets spat on it can be wiped clean.

Photos, paintings, prints, etc. can also be framed with acrylic, or plastic or whaterver it's called panes. We have a large lithograph by X, and it came this way. I've heard some galleries use this since it doesn't break or shatter, and has very good UV protection too.

because the glass will prevent people like douglas k. ( no ofense) from

touching your fibre prints to feel the texture.

p.s. anti-glare glass is a really bad idea because they are made that way with

acid.

The acid that's used in anti-glare glass is washed off carefully before it's delivered. And you can wash it further if you're fearful: I have hundreds of slides that were mounted with anti-newton glass produced in the same fashion as nonglare glass...they have not aged noticably in thirtyfive years. We hung the mounts with alligator clips in a dishwasher and washed/dried em' before assembling with ektachrome.

 

Someone alluded to "the contemporary art world." But then he referred to exhibit and interior decoration techniques. There are various "exhibit" situations and they call for different mounting.

Rene, Back in the 1960's I was young and poor. (Now I'm old and destitute...LOL) I couldn't afford frames. I dry mounted the double weight photos on mounting board. Sometimes I used a dry mount press with tissue, others were with spray adhesive. Either Krylon or Marshall's, or maybe some with each. They were mounted on smooth finish mounting board, a pasteboard type board with a smooth white side although grey and black were available. The frames were home made out of 1/4"x2" lathing strips. I didn't bother mitering the corners. Inside that were 3/4"x3/4" or 1/2"x1/2" wood strips set back a little from the front of the frame. All the assembly was with white glue (Elmer's) except for a couple of brads at each corner of the lathing strips. Everything was painted white or black, then the mounting board was glued in place, also with Elmer's, with the print set just a tiny bit below the front of the frame.

 

The print, including the edges of the mounting board, was sprayed with clear lacquer. This was done before setting it in the frame. Again, there were several varieties. Photo shops tended to sell Marshall's while art supplies stores mostly had Krylon.

 

Regards,

 

Al