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599 NINTH STREET NORTH SUITE 309 | NAPLES, FL 34102 | 239.261.2637
ASK THE ARTSPERTS ART IN THE BATHROOM www.harmonmeek.com
by Juliana Meek and Kristine Meek
Dear Artspert:
What type of art is okay to put in a bathroom? Is there anything I need to worry about regarding humidity and condensation?
Signed,
Bathroom Art
Dear Bathroom Art,
Being daughters of art dealers we were surrounded by art in every room
of the house, and yes, that included the bathroom. The bathroom is a place to
have some fun with your art. It’s a place, like your bedroom, where you can
hang what you enjoy most and what makes you happiest. Think about all the
time you spend in your bathroom getting ready each day; why not surround
yourself with some art that brightens your day?
Other ideas for art in your bathroom include showing a little of your cheeky
side. My parents have a painting inside of an antique medicine chest in the
guest powder room. If anyone dares to look inside the medicine cabinet they
will see a litho-crayon drawing of a person holding a sign with an expletive.
They have a lot of fun hearing guests laughing in the powder room.
My sister and I have a drawing in our powder room that was done in
Paris in 1927 by Adolf Dehn and it looks like an innocent street scene with a
nicely dressed lady walking by boutique shops. But in the middle of this classy
Parisian street are men’s legs sticking out from under a wall that says “Public Toilet.”
Regarding humidity and condensation, those are valid concerns and the best way to avoid these issues is to have the works framed well,
with archival quality matting that separates the image from the glass and with
a well-sealed back. If your works are old or were framed decades ago, you may
need to keep an eye on the backing to make sure the seams have not separated
in order to keep the work air-tight, keeping moisture out.
Another tip is to put bumper pads in the lower corners of the frame to
separate the work from the wall to allow for airflow behind the work if the
bathroom has high humidity and poor ventilation. It’s also a good idea to run
the ventilation fan in the bathroom while showering and to keep the door
to the bathroom open after to allow the moisture-rich air to escape. We also
recommend you use UV-Plexiglas because unlike glass it is non-porous and
will further protect the painting from condensation.
So whether you hang in your bathroom a watercolor of a waterfall, a
drawing of a nude, or a lithograph print that makes you smile, if it is protected
by UV-Plexiglas and framed carefully, it will be fine.
Sincerely,
The Artsperts
LEFT: “PARIS” BY ADOLF DEHN, INK DRAWING 12”X 16” 1927
RIGHT: AN EXAMPLE OF A SCULPTURE OUR PARENTS HAVE IN THEIR BATHROOM BY THEIR TUB “BATHTUB BOX” BY MILTON HEBALD,
BRONZE, 5 ¼” X 13 ¼”, 1963
88 Life in Naples | January 2015
ASK THE ARTSPERTS ART IN THE BATHROOM www.harmonmeek.com
by Juliana Meek and Kristine Meek
Dear Artspert:
What type of art is okay to put in a bathroom? Is there anything I need to worry about regarding humidity and condensation?
Signed,
Bathroom Art
Dear Bathroom Art,
Being daughters of art dealers we were surrounded by art in every room
of the house, and yes, that included the bathroom. The bathroom is a place to
have some fun with your art. It’s a place, like your bedroom, where you can
hang what you enjoy most and what makes you happiest. Think about all the
time you spend in your bathroom getting ready each day; why not surround
yourself with some art that brightens your day?
Other ideas for art in your bathroom include showing a little of your cheeky
side. My parents have a painting inside of an antique medicine chest in the
guest powder room. If anyone dares to look inside the medicine cabinet they
will see a litho-crayon drawing of a person holding a sign with an expletive.
They have a lot of fun hearing guests laughing in the powder room.
My sister and I have a drawing in our powder room that was done in
Paris in 1927 by Adolf Dehn and it looks like an innocent street scene with a
nicely dressed lady walking by boutique shops. But in the middle of this classy
Parisian street are men’s legs sticking out from under a wall that says “Public Toilet.”
Regarding humidity and condensation, those are valid concerns and the best way to avoid these issues is to have the works framed well,
with archival quality matting that separates the image from the glass and with
a well-sealed back. If your works are old or were framed decades ago, you may
need to keep an eye on the backing to make sure the seams have not separated
in order to keep the work air-tight, keeping moisture out.
Another tip is to put bumper pads in the lower corners of the frame to
separate the work from the wall to allow for airflow behind the work if the
bathroom has high humidity and poor ventilation. It’s also a good idea to run
the ventilation fan in the bathroom while showering and to keep the door
to the bathroom open after to allow the moisture-rich air to escape. We also
recommend you use UV-Plexiglas because unlike glass it is non-porous and
will further protect the painting from condensation.
So whether you hang in your bathroom a watercolor of a waterfall, a
drawing of a nude, or a lithograph print that makes you smile, if it is protected
by UV-Plexiglas and framed carefully, it will be fine.
Sincerely,
The Artsperts
LEFT: “PARIS” BY ADOLF DEHN, INK DRAWING 12”X 16” 1927
RIGHT: AN EXAMPLE OF A SCULPTURE OUR PARENTS HAVE IN THEIR BATHROOM BY THEIR TUB “BATHTUB BOX” BY MILTON HEBALD,
BRONZE, 5 ¼” X 13 ¼”, 1963
88 Life in Naples | January 2015
