Paintings spend nearly all their time hanging around, whether it be on display in an exhibition or tucked away safe on a rack in a collection store.
In addition to being housed in a building that will hold strong in an earthquake, secure hanging systems are another important aspect of keeping an art collection safe.
The front of an artwork gets all the attention so it's unlikely you've had many thoughts about the fittings on the back that keep it on the wall or rack. As one of the Collection Transition Assistants responsible for moving the collection to Sarjeant on the Quay, it's something we have had to consider carefully.
There are many ways to hang a painting. With a collection as old and diverse as the Sarjeant Gallery's we have come across examples of a wide variety, as you can see in the photo.
The majority of collection works were previously hung with black plastic marine cleats and metal 'S' shaped hooks. This was the New Zealand industry standard for decades and you will still find them on the back of many works in collection stores around the country. The trouble with marine cleats is the plastic can tear when force is exerted against it, as discovered in the Christchurch earthquakes. There is also nothing to prevent the metal 'S' hook from jumping out of the cleat or off the rack. This hanging method can also be a problem in daily use when lifting a painting off the rack as the 'S' hooks can potentially drop onto the paintings below.