from The New York Times -
A Rebel Form Gains Favor. Fights Ensue.
go to article

It is indeed an ironic twist that performance art - the art form which resists commercialism by being stubbornly rendered as not collectible - is now facing questions about its core value as some artists insists on reperformance, sometimes using the guise of preservation to deflect criticism.
.

from Tate Research -
Tate AXA Art Modern Paints Project (TAAMPP): 2006-2009 Research summary
go to Research Summary (PDF, 563 kB)

A summary of the extensive research into acrylic paints and how various conservation cleaning treatments affect the physical properties of acrylic paint films.
.

from The New York Observer -
Copy That! Wait, Don't. Whitney Ponders Problem of Replication in Modern Art
go to article

Yet another take on the issues surrounding the preservation of contemporary art. Perhaps, it is more useful to see such diverse preservation efforts not in a monolithic or unified way but as pragmatic measures in the race against time. Let's argue less about (impossible) philosophical ideals and think more about setting acceptable standards beyond which all manner of approach is (to be) welcomed.

See earlier link to various papers published online on the 2007 conference held at the Tate mentioned in the article
.

from Getty Conservation Institute Newsletter -
Conservation of Modern and Contemporary Art
go to contents
go to PDF (6.7 MB)

A timely overview of some of the latest research directions and thinking in the preservation of contemporary art and materials.
.

from Art21 Blog -
Concepts Around Interviewing Artists: a Discussion with Glenn Wharton
go to article

A good and clear overview of the issues pertaining to the use of artist interviews as a strategy in the preservation of contemporary art. In the final analysis, such interview should be treated less as documentation (which is a 1-way process akin to trying to uncover the artist intent, whatever that might mean) and more as an exercise in building understanding (as a 2-way interactive and collaborative process).
.

from Getty Conservation Institute -
Documenting Spiral Jetty
go to article

A nice overview - literally - of the need for continual visual recording of the iconic artwork as part of its preservation. Additional information to be found in the captions of the slide images.

See earlier posts on the Spiral Jetty here.
.

from Art 21 Blog -
Imaging Conservation at the Guggenheim: A Discussion with Carol Stringari
go to article

A glimpse into the work and ideas of the conservation profession. In particular, the pressing issue of "preservation" (as opposed to tangible restoration) of contemporary art.
.

from The New York Times -
An Old Spanish Master Emerges From Grime
go to article

Yet, once again, the quality of an artwork (and proper attribution) is enhanced by appropriate and sensitive conservation work.
.

from The New York Times -
Stripping Away the Darkness as Murals Are Reborn
go to article
go to slide-show

As inevitable aging of the varnish sets in, the building decor was adjusted to match the darkening shade:

"[O]ver the years the surfaces grew darker. And as the murals’ topcoat of varnish deepened, the maintenance staff painted the undecorated parts of the walls a darker color to match. After the north corridor lobby murals were cleaned, [...] the color scheme for the whole interior was out of whack."

Now, the cycle starts again - and conservation treatment somewhat plays a "renewal" role rather than one of mere preservation.
.

from Modern Art Notes -
Examining the latest threat to Spiral Jetty
go to post

from Art21 Blog -
Extending the Conservation Framework: A Site-Specific Conservation Discussion with Francesca Esmay
go to interview

When an artwork is up against the natural elements and man-made chnages, will it stand a chance of being around in time to come?

See earlier posts here.
.

from The Art Newspaper -
The Getty puts panel painting into perspective
go to article

Something which conservation, as a profession, should spend more time thinking about and taking effective actions - before it is too late.
.

from Arts in Houston -
MFAH does conservation work on Anselm Kiefer painting in public
go to blog post



Link via Modern Art Notes.
.

from Art:21 Blog -
No Preservatives: The Clocks’ Tic Tic Tic …
go to article

An insider's view (with monthly updates in a new column, "No Preservatives: Conversations and Conservation", by Richard McCoy) on the issues surrounding efforts and approaches in the preservation of contemporary art.

"[E]ven when guidelines are established as to how an artwork can change over time, the concept of authenticity and correct representation is still complicated and open to some level of interpretation."

As conservators increasingly embrace the use of scientific tools and techniques in conservation work, more than ever, the subjective nature of conservation work is - and has to be - made apparent and necessary. Apparent, because human decision-making processes are subjective in nature. Necessary, because we should neither delude ourselves nor pretend otherwise.
.

from The Getty Conservation Institute -
Ethical Dilemmas in the Conservation of Modern and Contemporary Art
go to web-page and video

"We live in a society that does not always value the signs of age. Many modern and contemporary works of art were either intentionally meant to be ephemeral, or were made from new and untested materials that have turned out to be dramatically unstable. The resulting deterioration of these objects raises difficult questions about their conservation."

from Indianapolis Museum of Art -
Sebastiano Mainardi: The Science of Art

Two interesting videos on the restoration of a Renaissance painted altarpiece and the subsequent exhibition that was built around the process.




.

from The Boston Globe -
A 'Nativity' revelation
go to article
go to graphics
go to video clip

Yet another discovery of a hidden painting and the artist's frugal re-use of canvases, "uncovered" during x-radiography examination before conservation treatment. This time, it is a painting by Tintoretto.
.

from The Independent -
Return of the fallen Madonna
go to article
go to photos

This is the stuff that paintings conservators live for. In addition, any residual argument for retaining the "patina" of age on paintings should now be seen as misguided or even erroneous.
.

from Modern Art Notes -
The Future of Spiral Jetty
go to posts

A relook at the threats facing Robert Smithson's "Spiral Jetty" - as a direct result of human folly and its consequences - and comment how we, as an art community, are lacking a framework to evaluate viable course of actions needed.

Part 1: The future of Spiral Jetty.
Part 2: What's happening to the Great Salt Lake?
Part 3: Spiral Jetty, the Great Salt Lake and Dia
Part 4: Dia's 'buffer' approach to preserving Spiral Jetty
Part 5: The next step at GSL: Coalition-building, funding
Postscript: Spiral Jetty: Is federal protection a useful option?

Also see earlier posts here.
.

from Scientific Blogging -
Will Mona Lisa Smile More When She's Clean? The Science of Art Conservation
go to article

Quotable quote (from Tom Learner at GCI):

"One of the hardest decisions I’m having to make at the moment is, do we recommend that a lot of people pour a lot of resources into something like sausage casing or bread, which is never going to last as long as a marble sculpture?"

Which is the crux of the difficulty in efforts in preserving contemporary art - not so much the range and diversity of materials but the diversion of professional resources to research and care for something which deteriorates faster than one can understand it properly. At some point, tolerance of artistic freedom crosses over to become over-indulgence. No?

Link via Conservation DistList.
.

from The New York Times -
Tall, Dark and Fragile
go to article
go to slide-show

The culmination of 8 years of research in an exhibition and perhaps a bit more technical information to go by, in so far as art conservation decisions are concern. However, to borrow a phrase from Einstein, the "perfection of means" does not necessarily bring us closer to the goal:

"[...] Reinhardt made himself readily available to repair paintings, or substitute fresh ones if necessary. When he offered to replace a damaged black painting in the Museum of Modern Art’s collection, curators balked. But we want our painting, they said. So battles over authenticity — over what constituted an original Reinhardt, or a particular Reinhardt, or an imperfect-but-acceptable Reinhardt — began during his lifetime and have grown knottier since."