Preserving Precious Art Pieces: Can Nanotechnology Help?

Art pieces, whether they are fine or pop art, expensive or inexpensive, created by traditional artists or pop artists like Andy Warol, must always be treated with utmost care if we want such works of art to stay with us for a long time. Whether the Andy Warhol prints, or the Andy Warhol lithographs are at home or at the Andy Warhol Art Gallery, such art pieces must be well cared for.

And that’s where the challenge begins.

The Challenge of Cleaning Without Harming

Preserving art pieces such as Andy Warhol prints and Andy Warhol lithographs is very important because we want the future generations to also get the chance to appreciate the art that was created by the masters. Even if the art pieces are still in a gallery such as the Andy Warhol Art Gallery, dust, grime and moisture can accumulate over time.
The challenge comes in making sure that each piece of artwork is cleaned and maintained without them. There are two kinds of challenges that we can face when cleaning and maintaining art pieces such those created by Andy Warol:

• When the artwork has some plastic – Plastic can become very brittle and will become yellowish as time goes by. As the plastic becomes brittle and changes in color, the material weakens, thereby compromising the durability the at piece. Plastic is also composed of materials that can make surfaces powdery and very sticking which can affect even the way an art piece would look. Can you imagine Andy Warhol prints and Andy Warhol lithographs with sticky and powdery surfaces?

• When the artwork is non-plastic– Even if the Andy Warhol lithographs or Andy Warhol prints are made out of non-plastic materials, many of the materials used in cleaning the art pieces can damage the surface of the piece of art. There are cleaning materials that can scratch or blanch surfaces when used for cleaning. We cannot let this happen to our precious artworks.

Using Nanotechnology to Preserve Art

Art pieces need to be cleaned. However, we must ensure that we do not harm or damage the artwork. For this reason, researches have conducted studies to overcome the challenges that come with cleaning and maintaining art pieces. Through the use of nanotechnology, new materials for paints and solvents are being tested. There are also studies being conducted to produce cleaning materials that will not damage the surfaces of our paintings or artwork. In fact, these nanotechnology researches are focusing on finding ways to restore artwork that has deteriorated and producing coating methods that can protect artwork. With the continuous use of nanotechnology, there is hope that we can better take care of our favorite artworks in the future.