Protection of art gallery and museum collections from vibration

Awareness that works in museum collections might be at risk of damage from exposure to vibration has existed in the art world at least since the 1970s. The acute risk is greatest when works are being moved. Early attempts at measurement and risk evaluation were focussed on works in transit. The assumption was that works at rest, exhibited or stored in gallery conditions, were no more vulnerable to vibration than the buildings housing them. That may hold true for conventional paintings, whatever their medium, age or even condition. Artefacts may be at greater risk. As practicable methods for monitoring emerged, especially during nearby construction, attention turned to the vulnerability of art objects more widely. Few verifiable cases of damage caused by exposure to vibration have been reported but the perception of risk has nonetheless increased. A necessarily precautionary approach has become ever more cautious, especially encouraged by the hypothesis that all objects are susceptible to accumulated exposure and eventual fatigue failure. Yet there is no numerical or experiential evidence to support that. A summary of a comprehensive literature review leads here to an attempt at numerical analysis of the risk, taking Michaelangelo's 'David' as a case study.