Sunday, November 3, 2024

Exploring the Impact of Museum Lighting on Art and Visitor Experience

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Art museums play a crucial role in acquiring, preserving, and displaying artworks while providing educational and analytical opportunities for the public. The presentation of art is significantly influenced by lighting conditions, which must be carefully controlled to conserve the integrity of the artifacts while enhancing the viewer’s experience. Historically rooted in the Kruithof curve, which outlines optimal combinations of color temperature and illuminance for visual comfort, recent studies have challenged its relevance, particularly regarding modern lighting technologies like LEDs. Research indicates that the illuminance level is more critical for viewer comfort than color temperature, prompting museums to adopt more adaptive lighting solutions, including the Color Rendering Index (CRI) and the newer Color Quality Scale (CQS) for improved color accuracy. As museums increasingly shift towards LED lighting to minimize energy consumption and UV/IR damage to artworks, they remain committed to providing an engaging and protective viewing experience.

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