Why are museums often not allowed to take pictures?

In fact, flashlights emit visible light as well as infrared and ultraviolet rays. Just like the ultraviolet rays in the sun will harm our skin, the visible light and invisible light emitted by the flash will also cause different degrees of damage to cultural relics.

According to Chengdu Evening News, infrared rays have a thermal effect, which will destroy textile fibers, change dyes and pigments, and lead to the fading of cultural relics. In addition, oxidation is also the chief culprit in destroying cultural relics. Under the illumination condition, light provides energy for oxidation reaction and accelerates oxidation.

In general, organic matter is more prone to oxidation reaction, so paper paintings, printed matter, plant specimens, leather and feathers are very sensitive to visible light and invisible light, and are more likely to fade and age under strong light.

Stones, metals and ceramics are relatively insensitive to light, so they are usually displayed in a bright environment, but if these objects are dyed or colored, it is another matter.

Because the light will have different degrees of influence on the exhibits, the exhibits in the museum are also very particular about their display. The staff will make an exhibition plan in advance to maximize the preservation time of cultural relics, and light is also one of the important factors they consider. For the exhibits that can't be illuminated by strong light, they will hang up the sign "Do not use flash" and display the exhibits in the exhibition hall with poor light.

The original intention of banning the use of flashlights in museums is to pass on history to future generations, so that they can look for the track of history in museums and review the course of civilization with awe, just like us.

If you see the logo in the museum in the future, please consciously turn off the flash of your mobile phone or camera and feel the collection with your heart. (Song Zhangzongwei)

This paper was scientifically proofread by Wang Donge, an associate researcher at Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

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Other viewpoints

1. No shooting to improve the tourist experience. People who love art will often visit museums and even become members or recommend them to more friends. When a group of people are shooting works of art with selfie sticks, it is difficult for others to calm down and seriously appreciate the works. Sometimes, more people shoot a work of art, which will cause traffic jams.

No photos can make people flow smoothly and ensure everyone's safety. To a certain extent, it also reduces the insurance cost of the museum, because some photographers will find a very special angle to shoot, such as taking pictures from the balcony. Reduce the chance of injury and make the museum run at a lower cost.

2. The prohibition of shooting makes the gift shop monopolize the copyright of the image. In this way, the books, posters and postcards in the gift shop have become the only legal sources of works of art and clear images of places of interest.

3. The prohibition of shooting also ensures the safety of artworks. Thieves or terrorists will analyze the location of the alarm system and camera through photos, and then find the right time to start. Although there are not many thieves stealing art, once they steal it, they often make headlines.

Of course, some people will say that posting photos online will not hinder the safety of works of art, but will be safer. Because if more people know that a work of art belongs to a museum, it is difficult to find a sales channel even if it is stolen. Therefore, taking and sharing images should be encouraged, not prohibited.

4. Taking photos may involve copyright issues. Once writers, composers and artists have exclusive copyright, whoever wants to copy these works must pay a fee. Copyright is usually retained for 70 years after the artist dies.

This means that most of the Renaissance artworks, Greek statues and impressionist paintings in the museum do not have copyright protection problems. Therefore, copyright is more about modern works of art, especially works of art displayed with the help of museum space.

As long as it is not a permanent collection of museums, the copyright of paintings and sculptures belongs to the artist himself. Sometimes, the works shot and uploaded by individuals usually have no influence on artists, but will improve the awareness and dissemination of works of art, and even increase the value of copyright owners.

References:

People's Daily Online-Why do museums prohibit taking photos with flash? ?