Yes, there's literature on it. I think my references to it are buried in
old e-mail files I cannot now access because of software incompatibilities
(!) -- but ask our collecgues on the VRA list; I think this is where I
encountered the material.

Our policy is: yes, it's obviously harmful, but only cumulatively.
Photographing something once this way is negligible.  Repeat = harm.  Long
lighting set-ups are cumulative & therefore harmful.

A related problem, in my opinion, is that electronic flash makes for lousy
photographs of paintings.  We've had far better results with traditional
lighting, softboxes, time exposures, etc.  Being in a studio with strobe
lights gives new meaning to the expression "to shoot" a work of art...

Amalyah
amalyah keshet
head of visual resources, the israel museum, jerusalem
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