TEFAF – Daniel Crouch Rare Books

For the TEFAF art fair in New York this October, Daniel Crouch Rare Books needed a lighting solution that was discreet, yet delivered excellent and sympathetic lighting for the illumination of exhibited works. Precision supported this with products from the Pico family.

TEFAF, or The European Fine Art Foundation, is a global champion of fine art, and the New York fair saw 94 of the world’s most prestigious and acclaimed art authorities from 14 different countries exhibit works ranging from antiquity to the present day.

Daniel Crouch’s stand at the fair saw the dealership present rarities including antique atlases, maps, plans, sea charts and voyages dating from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries.

For the presentation of these works, displayed in full-height prestige cabinets, discretion of the lighting was essential. Consequently, Precision’s Pico family were chosen for their minimal footprint, and discreet appearance. Finished to an anodic brown aesthetic, and installed on complementary rubbed bronze finished vertical Basis Track, the luminaires deliver an elegance befitting the rare documents displayed.

Given the age of the works, consideration of conservation was key in the lighting of the display. The 32 Pico luminaires feature LEDs that deliver 95CRI, perfect for capturing the true colours of the documents, yet removes the threat posed by infra-red or ultra-violet radiation that some non-LED sources can incur. The result is works that are lit with sympathy, drawing attention to each piece’s unique features and emphasizing the value of each piece.

In addition to the taller display cases, some works were also displayed opened within smaller display cases, where they needed to be lit from above. For these cases, four Pico S1s in the same anodic brown finish with custom stem lengths were used to provide delicate lighting from above with the need for additional installation equipment.

For the lighting of exhibits outside of the display cases, such as the large wall-hung maps, track-mounted DRX1 luminaires from Precision’s sister company, RCL, were employed.