Framing
Something I always do when I purchase a painting is “framing.”
I believe art collectors have a duty to protect artworks from dust, humidity, oil, and the like through framing, passing them on to the next generation.
Sometimes I fit a work snugly into a ready-made frame, but the aspect ratio, thickness, and other dimensions may not match, and it’s hard to find the color or material I picture.
At such times, I quietly place an order.
It becomes the “one and only” original frame that only I own.
Nabis Art Frames
A place I’ve relied on recently is “Nabis Art Frames,” an art-supply store that relocated from Ginza to Kuramae in October 2017. Founded in 1947, it’s a shop with over 70 years of history.
Nabis faces Kasuga-dori with good sunlight, and the interior is very bright and comfortable.
It’s a custom-frame shop, but it also stocks many ready-made frames, so there’s the fun of discovering cute frames.
The frames seem to be centered on their own in-house production plus direct imports from Italy and Spain, and there are many frames I’d never seen—it’s fun.
They Framed a Work for Me
Of the several framings I’ve requested, let me introduce a basic one. This time it’s a work by Kosuke Ajiro. I purchased it at this solo exhibition.
Bringing the work in, they check compatibility and balance by holding various frame-wood samples against it.
Matching the chosen frame, we also select the mat board.
The young man in charge responds kindly and courteously.
Nabis’s counter is really nice—it uses cork, a soft work surface that’s gentle on works.
We finished by discussing the framing method and so on. It’s a different work, but they told me the shina plywood they use can sometimes bleed (aku), so they take time to treat it—a framer who pays the utmost attention even to the finishing.
For reference, the bill came to about 7,000 yen.
Completed
Here is the completed framing. Looking at the back, you can confirm the careful work. Framers who attach back rubber are rare even among long-established shops.
Summary
I’ve asked various framers in the past, but since Nabis is in a relatively accessible location, I’ve been relying on them a lot recently. Above all, being newly established, there’s a reassurance that they offer a wide range of options. They don’t make a single unpleasant face at my unreasonable requests—rather, they’re a framer full of professionalism who seem to enjoy them.
I’m currently asking Nabis a new favor: “Please frame a photo book.” Since it’s a photo book, it’s quite an unreasonable order requiring a “removable method.”
What kind of answer will come…?
I plan to write up the result in an article later.
