• NEVER hang paintings in direct or bright sunlight: It can fade or crack in months! (Hang a decorative, fine art poster there instead!)
• NEVER hang a valuable painting above a working fireplace.
  Both heat and smoke dust will damage it.
• AVOID touching the artwork with you bare hands. The oils in your skin can damage it.
• NEVER hang a painting on an exterior wall without adequate insulation or vapor barrier.
• NEVER store a painting in an attic or basement which is poorly temperature regulated.
• NEVER apply a commercial cleaner to a painting. If it is an oil or acrylic painting you can give it a gentle dusting with feather duster. (Do not use a cloth, as it may leave lint, or cause pigment damage.)
• Leave a small gap between wall and painting to allow air flow -- this is particularly important for canvas paintings which are quite exposed to the atmosphere.
• Maintain a constant room temperature all year (preferably between about 55-72 degrees Fahrenheit). Use moist heat in winter and air conditioning in summer.
• Paintings on canvas should be taut on their stretcher bars, without ripples. Have the painting re-keyed occasionally to take up slack as canvas naturally loosens over time.
• Drawings of ink, pencil, charcoal and pastels should be completely inside a frame, with glass in the front and back seams sealed with acid-free tape.
• When framing you may use plexi-glass for artwork created in ink or pencil, but ONLY use glass for artwork in charcoal and pastel. Plexi-glass can build-up an electrostatic charge which will pull the pastel or charcoal dust out off of the paper.
• All mat boards and adhesives must be acid-free and archival in quality, otherwise yellowing and perhaps even embrittlement will occur.
• Protect the back of your painting with acid-free cardboard or foam-core.
• Retain all information on materials and processes if you have the painting professionally cleaned and/or restored.
• Attach all information about point of purchase, artist, sitter or subject, dates, appraisals, etc., for future generations.

If you want more information, go to the Conservation Web-Links on my ArtWeb Mega-Link List.