LED lighting for museums

For museums and exhibition spaces, the use of LEDs is becoming increasingly important. In terms of effectiveness and natural color rendering, the quality of light has improved significantly in recent years. To preserve art objects and paintings in the long term without damage, they would have to be kept cool, dry and in the dark. To ensure that interested parties still enjoy, ideal lighting is essential.

Key facts at a glance:

·        General lighting provides optimum brightness throughout the room

·        Accent lighting is used to directly illuminate artworks

·        For showcases, integrated lighting solutions are suitable

·        In the case of sculptures and other objects, we recommend moving spotlights, track spotlights and spotlights

·        For paintings, a lighting concept made of LEDs with natural color rendering is ideal

Lighting types in museums

Basically, two important distinctions concerning the arrangement of light sources can be made for exhibition rooms or galleries:

1.     General lighting

2.     Accent lighting

While the former provides optimal brightness throughout the room, the latter is suitable for direct exposure to artwork or other objects to be exhibited. Depending on the size of the room and the number of objects, put your lighting concept together.

Which LED lighting is suitable for which areas?

Depending on whether you want to illuminate certain objects or works of art in the room, on the wall or in the secure protection of glass showcases, there are a variety of lighting solutions for different exhibition areas. Here you will find the ideal LED lights for specific areas.

Showcase lighting

Some objects can only be displayed in the protection of showcases with integrated lighting. For example, LED strips are used well because they can be mounted flexibly and thanks to modern LED technology, efficient consumption is guaranteed. Alternatively, smaller LED spotlights for accent lighting are also available.

For showcases without their own light sources, the ceiling lighting should always be in line with the showcases in order to effectively avoid reflections. In addition, it is recommended to use anti-reflective glass and dimmable ceiling lights.

Illumination of objects

Objects such as statues often get a special charm when they are illuminated in the dark. With moving spotlights, track spotlights and headlamps it is possible to illuminate the entire object or only parts of it. Structure and shapes are clearly emphasized by shadows. Particularly suitable is the attachment to the ceiling, whereby exhibits are irradiated evenly from above.

In contrast to spotlights with highly concentrated light, headlights or floodlights have a larger viewing angle, which is suitable for illuminating the entire object. For this, the distance to the object must be greater than to illuminate certain details.

Illumination of paintings

The biggest enemy of paintings is natural light. It can lead to fading of the colors. At the same time, the most important goal in museums is to create a natural atmosphere - with artificial light. Particularly suitable for this purpose are LEDs with a high color rendering, i.e. with a color rendering index of 90 to 99 Ra. Therefore, make sure that the three-digit color code of your bulbs begins with the number "9": This color code means that colors look lifelike and intense. The result is no distorted visual impression and works of art come into their own. More information can be found in our blog article.

Previously used incandescent and halogen lamps actually have a low damage potential due to their low UV radiation. However, they can have more negative effects due to the high heat output and are therefore less suitable than LEDs.

What is the advantage of LED lighting?

LED lights, unlike traditional bulbs, usually, no longer contain UV light that would cause the artworks to fade or yellow. In addition, exhibition objects are exposed to less heat in the case of LED lighting: in comparison to incandescent lamps, LEDs emit significantly less heat directly onto the image so that it shines longer and its colors are faithfully preserved. Last but not least, the use of LEDs results in reduced energy consumption as well as in the low replacement and maintenance costs; you also protect the environment and round off your image with sustainability and modernity.