I mentioned in the last couple of posts about the lack of museum glass (defined simply as a glass which has an anti-reflective coating and high UV filter level) on many of the paintings I saw recently in two public art galleries in Birmingham.
You do still have some reflections with museum glass, but instead of bright white, the reflections have a purple/blue colour tint and are much less noticeable. In most normal conditions and settings museum glass is almost invisible, and offers high clarity while also having a high UV filter level, some are also laminated (to prevent damage to the artwork should the glass be broken). Another type of museum glazing is Tru Vue Optium, which is a very high quality acrylic glazing, which has the additional benefits of light weight and is virtually unbreakable, it is considered the best available.
You do still have some reflections with museum glass, but instead of bright white, the reflections have a purple/blue colour tint and are much less noticeable. In most normal conditions and settings museum glass is almost invisible, and offers high clarity while also having a high UV filter level, some are also laminated (to prevent damage to the artwork should the glass be broken). Another type of museum glazing is Tru Vue Optium, which is a very high quality acrylic glazing, which has the additional benefits of light weight and is virtually unbreakable, it is considered the best available.
The first image below was probably the worst example that we saw, the atmospheric painting depicts an industrial landscape, and whilst you can look at it from various angles to avoid the reflections, it does not make for a good viewing experience.
The example below was one of the few paintings with good quality glass, it is glazed with Tru Vue Museum, and while you can still see some reflections due to the strong light sources required in a gallery setting, the difference is clearly visible.
