It does not take much to ruin fine art; improper storage can erase the value very quickly so it of paramount importance that collectors, galleries, museums, etc protect their collection. Fine art storage in Los Angeles must have the ideal humidity and temperature and framed pieces must be properly protected. Flat art which has been taken out of the frame for storage should be laid flat in individual cabinets which will provide shielding from light, pollutants and heat variations; these and other factors must be considered as they can quickly damage a collection.
If a collection of fine art is being moved into long term storage it must be packed properly for transit which will protect it from physical damage and then prepared for storage. There are companies that provide fine art storage in Los Angeles, they have the proper facilities to house collections or one-off pieces, they also can provide consulting services if the collector is considering building his or her own storage facility.
Temperature and humidity are the worst enemies of fine art. Canvas and paper can easily be attacked by mildew and mold which quickly attach them to these materials when the climatic conditions are ideal. Although high humidity and elevated temperatures are a bane to fine art, extremely dry air can be just as bad and as such the art must never be stored or even put on display when it is close to heating ducts or in environments which have very low humidity. These are the considerations that must be taken into account when fine art is destined for long term storage.
If paintings are left in their frames the value can drop because when they are framed, the art is exposed to light, varying temperatures and humidity; these elements are what cause paintings to degrade. The ideal way to avoid this situation is to remove the paintings from the frames and store them flat, protected from each other by layers of acid free paper. They must be in closed drawers in a climate controlled environment.
As well as protecting the art from environmental factors, the storage facility must be secure and preferably protected by numerous CCTV cameras which are monitored. The level of security must be high as these valuable works are targets for thieves and vandals.
