Keeping an Albert Marquet Print Looking the Way It Arrived

Marquet prints survive on routine, not vigilance. Light, dust and humidity do most of the damage, and each has a simple countermeasure that takes minutes a year.

Auvrique Editorial · Fine Art Editions

The short answer

Care for an Albert Marquet print by keeping it out of direct sun, holding humidity between roughly 40 and 60 percent, and dusting framed pieces with a dry microfibre cloth once a month. Never spray cleaner near the surface. Canvas editions need the same light discipline plus a gentle dry dust every few months.

Why Marquet Prints Fade Faster Than You Think

Marquet painted harbours, quays and rivers, and his prints lean on pale water, grey skies and long horizons. That palette is the vulnerability. Light inks sit close to the paper tone, so fading shows early and shows unevenly, starting at the edges nearest a window. A print hung opposite a bright window can lose its balance of tone within a few years, while the same print on a shaded wall holds for decades.

The fix costs nothing. Keep the print out of direct sunlight, and if the wall you want is bright, use a curtain or blind during the strongest hours. UV-filtering glass or acrylic on a framed piece reduces the risk further. The same logic applies to any tonal landscape, whether a Marquet quay scene or a canvas like Point Lobos, where pale sky does most of the visual work.

Cleaning Without Damaging the Surface

Dust is the second enemy, and the cleaning rule is short. Dry cloth only. A microfibre cloth passed lightly over the frame and glazing once a month is enough for a framed poster. Never spray glass cleaner directly on the surface, because liquid runs behind the glass and stains the print edge. Spray onto the cloth if you must, away from the print.

Canvas editions have no glazing, so the surface is the print itself. Dust them every two or three months with a soft, dry cloth, working in one direction with almost no pressure. No water, no polish, no damp cloth. If a canvas is genuinely soiled, a paper conservator is the right call, not a household product. The same guidance applies to a canvas edition such as Flowers and Apples, and the fuller routine is set out in our guide to caring for a Petrascu canvas.

Dusting and cleaning rules

Use a dry microfibre cloth, never a damp one
Dust framed prints monthly and canvases every two or three months
Spray glass cleaner onto the cloth, never onto the glazing
Stop and consult a conservator if the surface is stained or flaking

Humidity, Temperature and Where to Hang

Paper and canvas both move with moisture. Aim for a relative humidity between roughly 40 and 60 percent, which is the range most homes already sit in. The rooms to avoid are bathrooms, kitchens and unheated hallways, where swings are widest. Above a radiator is a poor spot too, because repeated dry heat cycles can cockle paper and stress the frame joints.

Anxious owners tend to over-handle their prints, and handling is where most accidental damage happens. Move a framed piece by the frame body, never by the wire or the top edge, and lay it flat face-up when taking it down. If you are still deciding between formats before buying, choosing between canvas and framed poster covers how each ages, and hanging a canvas without wall damage handles the mounting side. A well-placed print, like a framed poster edition, needs almost no intervention for years.

Most print damage is not an accident. It is a bright wall chosen once and regretted slowly.

Task	Framed print	Canvas print
Dusting	Monthly, dry microfibre cloth	Every 2 to 3 months, dry soft cloth
Light check	Seasonal, watch for direct sun	Seasonal, watch for direct sun
Humidity target	40 to 60 percent	40 to 60 percent
Deep cleaning	Conservator only	Conservator only

Care schedule at a glance

Key takeaways

Direct sunlight is the single largest threat to a Marquet print, especially its pale water and sky tones.
Dry dusting on a monthly or quarterly schedule is the only cleaning a print should normally need.
Keep humidity between roughly 40 and 60 percent and avoid bathrooms, kitchens and radiator walls.
Handle framed pieces by the frame body and consult a conservator for anything beyond dust.

Related questions

Can I hang an Albert Marquet print in a bathroom?

It is not recommended. Bathrooms cycle between very humid and very dry, which cockles paper and can loosen canvas tension over time. If the room is large and well ventilated, a framed print with sealed glazing is the safer choice, but a canvas edition will age faster there than elsewhere in the home.

How do I remove a fingerprint from a canvas print?

Leave it if you can. A fresh mark may lift with a very light pass of a dry microfibre cloth, but rubbing usually spreads oils and abrades the ink. Anything a dry cloth cannot shift should go to a paper or print conservator rather than being treated with water, alcohol or household cleaners.

Does framing behind glass protect a print from fading?

It helps but does not make a print safe in direct sun. Ordinary glass cuts some ultraviolet light, and UV-filtering glass or acrylic cuts considerably more, yet visible light itself also fades inks over years. Glazing plus a shaded wall is the combination that actually preserves a print long term.

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