Seventeenth-century oil canvases still look good today because they hung in houses with thick walls, away from the stove and the window. The same rules, translated for a 2026 flat:

Light

Never in direct sun. Indirect light is good; warm LED bulbs are good. If you want a spotlight, place it at 30 degrees to the wall, so the varnish does not glare.

Humidity and heat

Not above the radiator, not on a bathroom or kitchen wall, not on a cold exterior wall if the home is damp: the canvas expands and contracts, and the paint layer cracks over time. Humidity between 40 and 60% and a stable temperature, roughly what you like yourself.

Dust

A soft, dry brush, once every few months. No damp cloths, no sprays, no “painting cleaning solutions” from the internet. If a work has yellowed after decades, the varnish is replaced by a restorer, not at home.

Moving it

Hold the work by the stretcher, not the canvas, with clean hands. In transport, cardboard over the front, corner protectors, and never bubble wrap directly on the paint: it leaves marks in the varnish.

Full drying

An oil painting is dry to the touch in a few weeks, but fully dry only after 6–12 months. My works leave with retouching varnish; the final varnish I apply free of charge after a year, if you bring them to me or I come to you.