Gallery lighting for artwork: beam angle, CRI, colour temperature and distance to specify for a large painting

For a large painting, specify a CRI of 90 or higher, a colour temperature of about 3500–4100 K (the range the Canadian Conservation Institute reports viewers prefer for paintings), track heads aimed roughly 30°–40° from the wall, and a beam wide enough to cover the whole canvas. Keep light levels low and UV out. Sources give no single beam-angle number for large works, so size it by geometry.

Prism Garden (100 x 100 cm), acrylic on canvas — Alyne Perfeito, Perfeito Studio — on a white wall lit by three recessed ceiling spotlights, with a low oak bench below — Prism Garden, 100 x 100 cm, under three ceiling spotlights. Digital visualisation, for illustration only. Perfeito Studio

The specification in five lines

Aiming angle: 30°–40° from the wall (Curatorial, track-placement guidance), chosen to light the work evenly while avoiding bouncing glare and the shadows of viewers' heads.
CRI: at least 90 (Curatorial); the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) advises keeping CRI "as high as possible" so colours read correctly.
Colour temperature: CCI reports that viewers prefer 3500–4100 K for paintings.
Light level: CCI gives 50 lux as the prescribed low level for works susceptible to light damage, and notes that darker passages may need 150 lux. It sets no single maximum and says levels should be as low as possible.
UV: ideally none; if it cannot be blocked entirely, CCI says it should not exceed 75 microwatts per lumen.

These figures come from a conservation body and a curatorial lighting article, not from a single lighting standard. For a commissioned project, confirm them with the lighting designer and the lamp manufacturer's data.

Works cited in this text

Beam angle and distance: how to size the spot for a large canvas

Published guidance on beam angle mostly addresses small or three-dimensional pieces: Curatorial notes that spotlights under 20° suit small works and objects shown in the round. For a canvas of 100 x 100 cm or more, a narrow beam may not cover the whole surface, so the useful question is geometry, not a catalogue number.

A beam of angle θ at a throw distance d covers a circle of diameter 2 × d × tan(θ/2). This is arithmetic, not a sourced rule: a 40° beam at 1.2 m of throw covers about 0.87 m; at 2.0 m it covers about 1.46 m. Compare that coverage with the width of the canvas: for a 100 cm work, the beam at your actual throw distance should cover the whole surface, which may call for a medium-to-wide beam or for two heads aimed at opposite halves so the pools overlap.

The three recessed spots in the image above each cast a visible scallop on the wall. Note how much of the beam lands on the wall around the work; choosing beam width and aim so the light falls on the painting is part of the specification.

Glare, angle and the finish of the surface

Glare comes from the angle at which light meets the surface. Curatorial warns that lighting a glazed work from the centre creates a distracting reflection in the glass, and shows track placement chosen to avoid bouncing glare and viewers' shadows.

Side light is the other end of the range. Lit at a very sharp angle close to the picture plane, a surface shows every ridge; this is the principle of raking light, which the sibling guide How to light a textured or impasto painting covers in full. The Patina Field mockup shows daylight doing the same job, with bands of side light crossing the wall.

Patina Field (100 x 100 cm), acrylic on canvas — Alyne Perfeito, Perfeito Studio — on a wall crossed by bands of low side light above a console — Patina Field, 100 x 100 cm, with side light crossing the wall in bands. Digital visualisation, for illustration only.

Metallic leaf and relief: two surfaces that change with the lamp

Golden Passage (60 x 80 cm, 2025, mixed media, texture paste and imitation gold leaf (metallic leaf) on canvas, R$ 3,500) combines both. The leaf is imitation, not real gold, and is sealed with a spray sealant. Metallic leaf behaves as a reflective surface: the FADGI digitization glossary (Library of Congress) defines specular reflection as light from a single incoming direction reflected into a single outgoing direction, so the leaf changes with the lamp and the viewer's position instead of showing one fixed tone.

In practice this means two checks on site: stand at the usual viewing positions and see whether any lamp is reflected directly in the leaf, and compare the work under the room's lamps at the planned colour temperature, since a warm lamp and a cool lamp will read differently. The sibling guide Where to hang a gold leaf or metallic leaf painting covers placement.

Echo of Silence (50 x 70 cm, 2025, sculpted texture on canvas, R$ 2,400) is the opposite case: one off-white tone whose only information is relief, so light angle matters more than colour rendering.

Protecting the work: lux, UV and daylight

CCI states that light levels should be kept as low as possible and that UV from daylight or unfiltered fluorescent lamps should be absent from paintings. The sibling guide How to protect a painting from sunlight and fading sets out the window-side measures. The CCI note covers paintings in general; it does not give a figure specific to acrylic, so this page does not either.

A practical consequence for a specifier: choose dimmable heads so the level can be set on site with a lux meter, and keep the work out of direct sun.

Close detail of Echo of Silence (50 x 70 cm), sculpted texture on canvas — Alyne Perfeito, Perfeito Studio — concentric ridges and folded relief in off-white — Echo of Silence, surface detail: concentric ridges and folds of sculpted texture, which is why raking light reveals so much on this work.

For whoever is acquiring

Scale against the wall and the furniture first: Prism Garden (Luminous Rebirth, 2026, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm, R$ 5,500) and Patina Field (Terra & Ether, 2026, acrylic on canvas, 100 x 100 cm, R$ 5,200) are both square works of 100 cm, which a pair of heads can cover evenly. Send the studio your plan or a photo of the wall with the lighting context; for architects, the studio coordinates hanging height, lighting angle and conservation guidance with the project team (For architects). The studio does not publish a weight or a fixing system for the works: ask for the information on the specific work.

Every acquisition is direct from the artist and includes the original painting, a signed Certificate of Authenticity, an invoice or official receipt, an acquisition agreement, an artist dossier, conservation and care guidance and professional packaging. Shipping is quoted per destination (Shipping).

From the studio

Reading the work before the lamp

Alyne Perfeito is a Brazilian visual artist and trained architect based in Brasília; her work is built in layers of texture, mineral pigment and, in some pieces, imitation gold leaf. Because the surfaces differ so much, from the washes of Prism Garden to the relief of Echo of Silence, the lighting question changes from work to work: a wash reads through colour rendering, a relief through angle, a leaf through reflection. Specify for the surface you actually hang.

Frequently asked

What beam angle should a spotlight have for a large painting?

Sources give no single value for large canvases. Curatorial notes that spotlights under 20 degrees suit small works and objects. For a canvas around 100 cm, calculate coverage as 2 x distance x tan(half the beam angle), and choose a medium to wide beam, or two heads, so the whole surface is lit evenly.

What CRI and colour temperature are used in galleries?

Curatorial advises a CRI of at least 90. The Canadian Conservation Institute advises keeping CRI as high as possible and reports that viewers prefer 3500 to 4100 K for paintings.

At what angle should a track light hit a painting to avoid glare?

Curatorial's track-placement guidance is 30 to 40 degrees from the wall, chosen to avoid bouncing glare and shadows of viewers' heads. Lighting a glazed work from the centre creates a reflection in the glass.

How much light (lux) is safe for an acrylic painting?

The Canadian Conservation Institute covers paintings in general, not acrylic specifically: it gives 50 lux as the prescribed low level for works susceptible to light damage, mentions 150 lux for darker passages, and says levels should be as low as possible. UV should not exceed 75 microwatts per lumen if it cannot be fully blocked.

How should a painting with metallic leaf be lit?

Metallic leaf is a reflective surface, so its look changes with the lamp and the viewing position. Check from the usual viewing positions that no lamp is reflected directly in the leaf. The leaf on Perfeito Studio works is imitation gold leaf (metallic leaf), sealed with a spray sealant.

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Specifying light for a wall?

Tell the studio which work and which wall, with a photo and the lighting context. Once availability is confirmed it shares the documentation, and shipping is quoted for your destination.

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