The story arc of the Marc Chagall project

Rescuing a Marc Chagall Linoleum Lithograph

Just to refresh... a customer had rescued this original Marc Chagall linoleum lithograph from slowly being destroyed by the mounting and the framing (please see: "How to commit art murder," or, "I ruined a masterpiece, but saved on the framing"...). The mats were leeching acid into the art paper, the non-UV glass was allowing the sun to fade the art, and the MDF frame was slowly dissolving the art with formaldehyde out-gassing.

The rescued piece will be picked up by the customer today, and a ceremony will take place to present the art back to the public library. I thought I would share the design details of this project:

It features a double rag mat design (100% acid-free) with a filet. The bottom mat has a 1" reveal (this is a museum standard for a design with a filet) and the top mat has a 3.25" reveal. The art paper had some waviness, and it is loosely held in place with archival corners on the backside. This allows the art to breathe and respond to the ambient temperature. The outside moulding is called an Amante design, which is a classic moulding style. The glazing is a museum-quality UV glass, which is almost imperceptible. It was decided not to conceal the staining from the previous mats and to incorporate the flawed feature into the overall design.

It looks very classy and is totally reversible for future framers in the event of a re-design.

Respect the art. Protect, preserve, and present the art.