MERVIN RICHARD: Good afternoon.
My name is Mervin Richard,
and I am the Chief
of Conservation
here at the National Gallery.
And I'd like to welcome you
today.
The National Gallery is home
to an internationally-acclaimed
conservation division.
With a staff of nearly 60,
which include conservators
of paintings,
three-dimensional objects,
works on paper, photographs,
textiles, and frames,
plus scientists and specialists
in the area of preventive care,
it's one of the largest and most
extensive conservation
departments in the world.
Until 1970, when the department
was founded, the Gallery relied
on private conservators
to handle works of art that
required treatment.
Treatments remain a priority
today.
However, the conservation
department now plays a much
greater role
within the institution.
Conservators and scientists work
in partnership with a host
of staff in other departments--
curators, scholars, educators,
registrars, architects,
designers, facility managers,
engineers, stonemasons, lighting
specialists, and much more.
We conduct research, contribute
to scholarly publications,
and provide guidance
on such matters
as temperature
and relative humidity,
and packing and shipping.
My job today is to lead you
on a behind-the-scenes tour
of the National
Gallery's division, offering up
some history and introducing you
to conservators, scientists,
and technicians whose awesome
responsibility it is to preserve
the extraordinary-- and in some
cases, extraordinarily fragile--
works of art in our collection.
But first, I would like
to address some confusion
surrounding the terms
conservator and restorer.
In many countries,
including the United States,
conservator is the preferred
term today.
Professionals who focused
on long-term preservation
of cultural property
are called conservators
in the United States.
Physically treating works
of art, which some people call
restoration, is only one aspect
of the job.
The term restorer generally
refers to specialists whose
chief concern is the restoration
or repair of artifacts or works
of art,
returning them
to their original appearance.
Though not necessarily the case,
a restorer may be less
concerned about the preservation
of the original materials.
He or she may also introduce
changes that are not
reversible--
for example, stripping
the original finish off
of antique furniture.
Many people use the terms
interchangeably today
and without regard
to their distinction.
I might be referred to as
a conservator or a restorer
depending on what country I'm
in.
In French-speaking countries,
for example, the term
conservateur refers to what
we in the United States
would call a curator,
and the term restorer covers
my profession.
One needn't fret
about such matters.
Museum professionals are
a congenial group in general,
[LAUGHTER] and we try not
to take ourselves too seriously.
Let's focus now on the training
of conservators.
For centuries, works of art
and artifacts were restored
by artists and craftsmen who had
what were deemed to be
the skills necessary to repair
an object.
Painters restored paintings.
Furniture makers restored
furniture.
You get the idea.
Relatively few early restorers
were familiar with principles
of long-term preservation.
The quality of their work
vary tremendously, and objects
sometimes suffered because
of well-intentioned
but misguided efforts.
The focus was typically
on keeping the customer
satisfied.
Historically, artists
and craftsman had relatively
limited access to chemicals,
adhesives, paints, varnishes.
When it came to chemicals,
for example, they frequently
used lye, ammonia, acetic acid,
and alcohol.
If they stripped away
the original paint
in some areas, they simply
repainted them.
Some craftsmen and artists were
especially skilled
at restoration,
and they developed
excellent reputations,
attracting young apprentices who
would spend years working
with the restorer
before venturing out
on their own.
Not until the 20th century
did the field now known
as conservation come
into its own.
Most modern-day conservators are
educated in universities.
In the United States,
prerequisites for admission
to graduate conservation
programs
include undergraduate coursework
in art history, anthropology,
archeology, studio art,
and the sciences.
Besides coursework, candidates
are expected to acquire
hands-on conservation experience
before applying to graduate
school by either working
as volunteers in conservation
studios,
as interns or apprentices,
or in some cases as paid
employees in museums.
Graduate students then take
courses in art history,
chemistry, and studio art,
and work directly
with experienced conservators
to gain hands-on training.
They also learn the properties
of materials, the mechanisms
of deterioration,
fabrication techniques,
and preventive conservation.
They are taught how
to counteract the damages
brought on by a wide variety
of conditions and events
that include
excessive light exposure,
unstable temperature
and relative humidity,
atmospheric pollutants,
insect infestation,
and mishandling.
The goal is to prolong the life
of the work of art.
There are four graduate programs
in the United States
that train conservators today--
Buffalo State College,
the Institute of Fine Arts
at NYU, a joint program offered
by the Getty Conservation
Institute and UCLA,
and a joint program offered
by the Winterthur Museum
and University of Delaware.
Students earn a master's degree
after three to four years
of study.
During the course of study,
they gain
further practical experience
by working with conservation
professionals.
And then, in the University
of Delaware program, they also
have the opportunity to go on
for a PhD, which is still not
very common in our profession
at the moment.
I thought it would now
be interesting to cite
a few dates in the history
of conservation.
The first restoration
of the Sistine frescoes
by Michelangelo began in 1565,
which was only 50-some years
after they were completed.
In 1726, Leonardo da Vinci's
Last Supper was restored
for the first time.
In 1850, the Oliver Brothers
founded
the first private conservation
company in the United States.
In 1887, the Royal Museums
of Berlin established
the first museum conservation
laboratory in the world.
William Roentgen discovered
X-rays in 1895 and followed up
a year later by X-raying
the first painting.
In 1920, the British Museum
established
the first scientific research
laboratory in England,
as far as I know anyway.
In 1928, the Fogg Art Museum
established the first scientific
research laboratory
in an American museum.
And in 1931, Walter's Art
Gallery in Baltimore established
the first conservation
laboratory or studio
in an American museum.
Scientists have played
an important role
in the preservation
of cultural property
for the last couple
of centuries.
Here you see Robert Feller,
scientific adviser
to the National Gallery,
using an instrument that
measures the spectral properties
of the paint.
Most scientists working
on issues of preservation
have PhDs in either chemistry,
physics,
or some other closely-related
field.
When the National Gallery of Art
opened 76 years ago in March
1941, the organization was
relatively small and there were
no conservation staff members.
It was the curatorial staff who
largely took responsibility
for the day-to-day care
of the collection.
And when the technical expertise
was required of conservators,
private people were enlisted.
One such private conservator was
Stephen Pichetto, seen
at the left,
whose role at the National
Gallery
was described as consultant
restorer.
He is pictured here working
on a painting
at the Metropolitan Museum
of Art in 1936.
It was the only image I could
get my hands on.
I should add
that the large apparatus
in the forefront
was used for rejoining cracks
in panel paintings.
Pichetto, based in New York,
was
a highly-respected conservator
whose clients included
such prominent museums
as the Metropolitan Museum
of Art
and such prominent dealers
and collectors as Joseph Duveen,
from whom Andrew W. Mellon,
Henry Clay Frick, Samuel Kress
and others purchased works
of art, and also
other 20th-century
American collectors.
Pichetto not only restored
paintings for the National
Gallery of Art, but he played
a role in the design of the West
Building.
When he died in 1949, only eight
years after the National Gallery
had opened, Frank Sullivan--
seen at the right--
stepped in and was appointed
the resident restorer.
He worked at the Gallery
part-time for more than two
decades .
And as the Gallery's collections
grew in size and scope,
additional private conservators
were brought in to treat works
of art on paper, prints,
for example, sculpture,
textiles, and decorative arts.
The growth of the conservation
division accelerated when Jay
Carter Brown was appointed
director in 1969
and hired Charles Parkhurst,
shown here,
as assistant director and chief
curator in 1970.
Known as Chuck to almost
everyone, Parkhurst was
a trained art historian.
Interestingly, he served
as a lieutenant in the Navy
during World War II
and following the war
became deputy chief
of the Monuments, Fine Arts,
and Archives Program,
now more commonly
known as the Monuments Men,
whose mission it was to identify
works of art and buildings
that needed protection
and to recover stolen art.
Carter Brown and Chuck Parkhurst
believed that the National
Gallery should have a department
dedicated to conservation.
And soon after Parkhurst's
arrival, he added three
conservators to the staff--
Victor Covey, Kay Silberfeld,
and John Krill.
This marked the beginning
of a period of steady growth
for the department, which as I
mentioned early on
is now staffed by nearly
60 individuals.
I'm going to spare you
the step-by-step history
of the department's expansion
over the last half century,
but I do want to highlight
the role of one very
special individual, Ross
Merrill, who was
both my colleague
and close friend.
In the center at the left,
Ross Merrill is wearing
the blue shirt.
He's chatting with Sarah Fisher,
who was the former head
of painting conservation,
and Rene de la
Rie, the former head
of our scientific research
department.
Ross was not only
an excellent conservator
and leader for the division,
but he was a prolific painter
who in his spare time
taught oil painting
and watercolor techniques
to students eager to learn.
He joined the Gallery in 1981
as head of painting conservation
and as also the assistant chief
of the division.
Two years later, he was promoted
chief of conservation.
Ross ambitiously set out
building
a world-class conservation
program.
During his 27-year tenure,
the conservation division
expanded to include six
departments-- painting
conservation, paper
conservation, photograph
conservation, objects
conservation, textiles
conservation,
preventive conservation,
and a scientific research
department.
As for myself,
I was trained as a painting
conservator
and joined the Gallery in 1984,
primarily focusing
on conservation issues related
to major exhibitions.
I became deputy chief
of conservation in 1990.
And with Ross's retirement
in 2008 because of failing
health, I assumed his role.
The primary responsibilities
of the conservation division
can be narrowed down to six
items.
These include examination,
documentation, treatment,
preventive care, research,
and education.
Conservators at the Gallery
spend considerable time
examining the collection,
assessing the condition
of the individual works of art.
Thus, we are able to detect
early signs of deterioration
and determine treatment needs.
If immediate attention is
required,
a comprehensive examination
and detailed treatment proposal
is presented for approval
to the curators,
deputy director, and director,
and in some cases the board
of trustees.
Objects are also examined
to determine whether they can be
safely loaned to museums.
When loaned, a new condition
report is prepared
at every unpacking and repacking
in order to assess and document
the condition of the item.
In-depth examinations provide
us--
and by us, referring not just
to conservators,
but the curators and scholars
as well--
with a better understanding
of the artist's materials
and techniques.
Documentation is a watchword
in conservation.
Conservation organizations
from around the world
stipulate that conservators
and conservation scientists must
produce and maintain
accurate, complete,
and permanent records
of examination, material
sampling,
scientific investigations,
and treatment.
In most museums, these records
are kept as hard-copy documents
stored in filing cabinets
or on various digital storage
media.
The National Gallery is leading
an initiative,
called Conservation Space,
to develop a document management
software system specifically
tailored to meet the needs
of conservators and conservation
scientists.
The effort is sponsored
by the Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation
and is being undertaken
in partnership
with the Courtauld Institute
of Art, Denver Art Museum,
Indianapolis Museum of Art,
National Gallery of Denmark,
and Yale University.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
was participating
in the early phases
of the project,
but unfortunately had
to withdraw.
Michael Swicklik,
a senior painting conservator
on staff, is shown cleaning
a painting
by the 17th-century Dutch art
artist Cornelius Verbeeck.
Prior to the 20th century
and with few exceptions,
artists traditionally applied
a layer of varnish
to their paintings.
The varnish saturated the paint
color and in doing so enriched
the color
and added depth to the picture's
appearance.
To some extent, varnishes also
add a layer of protection
to the surface.
For centuries, artists supplied
natural resin varnishes,
such as mastic and damar,
derived from plants and trees.
These varnishes are still in use
today.
As you can see in the left slide
of the screen, these materials
discolor and darken with age.
Removing that discolored varnish
can produce dramatic effects.
In addition, the natural resin
varnish has become increasingly
difficult to safely remove.
When I say safely,
I mean removing
the varnish layer
without affecting
the original artist's paint,
a conservator's
persistent challenge.
Conservators working today
typically use varnishes made
from synthetic resins that are
more
stable than the natural ones.
This stability is critical
because it is our goal to use
materials that can be easily
removed in the future, which
is to say the treatments are
designed to be reversible,
another watchword in the field
of conservation.
You might be wondering about why
the conservator methodically
cleaned the painting from right
to left instead of working
randomly.
There's no good reason
in this case.
As you see,
it results
in a dramatic cleaning
photograph that documents
the degree of change.
However, a conservator cannot
use the same solvent mixture
to clean the entire painting
in some cases.
And in those situations,
one is forced to work
within regions of color
because different solvents are
required in different areas.
Here you see one
of the Gallery's most
transcendent
early-Netherlandish paintings,
an annunciation scene by Jan van
Eyck, which probably once formed
the left wing of a triptych.
Here the painting is shown
before treatment,
after cleaning,
and after treatment.
This is before cleaning.
Here you can see there are many,
many losses, and then here you
can see the painting once it's
been completed.
Over time, not only had
the varnish discolored, but also
a previous restore had
overpainted significant parts
of the painting.
In this slide, I would like
to draw your attention
to the robe of the Virgin, which
has been photographed
during the cleaning process.
As you can see,
there is excessive overpaint
that has been applied
to the surface of the artist's
original paint
in order to cover the areas
of damage
and also to cover areas of paint
that had changed over time.
During the cleaning process,
it
is essential for the conservator
to distinguish between original
and restorer's paint.
To aid in that process,
conservation scientists working
with the conservators
took minute samples of paint
and embedded them in a polyester
resin.
After the resin hardens,
the blocks are sanded to reveal
the layers of paint.
These cross-sections guide
the conservator
in differentiating
between original and restoration
layers.
And here is where we find
these various cross-sections
that really do play a very
significant role
in complicated cleanings.
Paintings can also have
structural problems requiring
treatment, such as paint layers
delaminating from their supports
requiring reattachment.
Cracks can form in the paintings
executed on the wooden panels,
which then have to be mended
with carefully selected
adhesives.
Paintings on canvas may tear,
or the fabric support may weaken
with age.
In the latter case, a support
of a new fabric is often added
using a variety of adhesives.
This is called a lining.
Modern
and contemporary paintings
can present special challenges
for conservators because
of the use
of novel and unconventional
materials, some of them
proving to be very
unstable over time.
These works can stubbornly defy
traditional methods
of restoration.
Modern acrylic paints,
for example,
become soluble in most
of the chemicals that are used
to clean traditional oil
paintings.
Thus, alternative cleaning
methods are required.
Here you see Jay Krueger, now
the head of painting
conservation at the Gallery, who
is a specialist in the treatment
of modern and contemporary
paintings,
which are a rapidly expanding
area of our collection.
In object conservation,
the treatment of painted
surfaces
on three-dimensional works
of art
is very similar to paintings.
Common procedures include
removal of grime, varnishes,
and other coatings.
Yet, the care
of three-dimensional objects
is especially complex because
of the range of materials used
by artists including stone,
wood, metal, clay, ceramics,
glass, plastics.
Works with structural damage
may require treatment--
for example, repairing breaks,
replacing missing components,
stabilizing friable materials
that are
either chalky or crumbly,
and treating an array
of corrosion problems.
This bust of Lorenzo de' Medici
is attributed
to a Florentine workshop
of the late-15th or early-16th
centuries, possibly replicating
one of three lifesize votive
portraits of Lorenzo produced
in 1478, all of them now lost.
The terracotta bust has been
completely overpainted
in previous restorations
in order to hide
various damages.
In this photograph taken
during the cleaning,
you can see how
dramatic the change is
that results from removing
the old discolored
varnish and overpaint
applied by previous restores.
Once again, cross-sections play
an important role.
Michael Belman, the conservator
for this complicated treatment,
who was working closely
with Shelley Sturman, who was
head of object conservation,
and the Gallery's
scientific team
used cross-sections as well as
various other scientific
techniques for identifying
materials to help guide
the cleaning process.
As I have stressed, conservators
are very careful never to remove
original paint.
If there is any doubt, we do not
remove it.
One clue that guided
the conservators
in this treatment
was the significant layer
of dirt which was left
on the work
before it was repainted
by the restorer.
In addition, we were
able to identify pigments
in lower and upper layers
and see very distinct
differences in the composition
of the paint.
Several clues led conservators
and the curator
to the conclusion
that the bust might have had
once a much more
elaborate headpiece as seen
in this painting of Lorenzo de'
Medici at the left.
Take note of the fabric that
is behind his proper right hair.
The headpiece may well have
looked like this.
And in the end,
we decided to explore
possibilities.
And here you see
a virtual reconstruction of what
our bust of Lorenzo
would have looked like had we
added the element.
However, it was decided
that there was not
sufficient evidence to make such
a dramatic alteration
to the work, and it was decided
to leave it basically as it was
for the last century or so.
And the current state
of the bust in all its glory
is seen in the slide
at the right.
If you want to learn more
about this treatment
as well as other treatments
and research projects
in our conservation division,
I refer you to Facture,
a biennial journal published
by the National Gallery, which
presents the latest research
on works
in the permanent collection.
Facture, a term defined
as the manner in which things
are made, presents essays
on conservation treatment,
scientific research,
and technical art history.
It is written for an audience
of conservators, scientists,
and art historians,
as well as people interested
from the general public.
At this point, we've published
three volumes,
and I took this photograph
this morning in the bookshop
because there it was.
On now to a complex treatment
of a stone-and-glass mosaic
by Marc Chagall, Orphee,
donated to the National Gallery
by John and Evelyn Nef.
For nearly four decades,
the mosaic resided in the garden
of the Nef's Georgetown
residence.
Our first assignment was
to remove the mosaic
from their wall then transport
and install it
here to the National Gallery.
This was no small task, I assure
you.
Brick from around the perimeter
wall were carefully removed
to expose the mounting hardware
and give us room to access
the sides of the mosaic.
The mosaic is actually made up
of 10 separate panels which were
assembled on the Nef's garden
wall.
Fortunately for us,
the mosaicists had not installed
tesserae along the edges of each
of these panels, and those were
only installed after the mosaic
was installed in the Nef's
garden.
The border of tesserae
were embedded in a very soft
mortar, which made their removal
relatively easy.
And here you can actually see
the conservator working
to remove tesserae
along the border.
The 10 panels were then taken
off one by one
and carefully handed down
to people below, at which point
they were put into relatively
simple packing cases
for transport
to the National Gallery.
To ensure that each
of the tesserae that we removed
were returned
to the original position
after restoration,
we actually made
lifesize photographs of all
of the joints for the panels
and glued the tesserae
with an easily removable
adhesive to those photographs.
One important step prior
to the removal of the mosaic
from the Nef's wall
was to apply a facing layer
to the front, a technique that's
often used in various forms
of conservation.
We actually adhere fabric
or tissue paper to the surface
of, in this case, the mosaic
with an easily removed glue so
that in the event
of some problem in handling
we don't have to worry
about tesserae actually falling
completely away.
They're held in place
by the facing.
The mosaic was cleaned of grime,
and the missing tesserae were
replaced.
You can see a few losses
in this slide, and also note--
here's a loss, here's a loss--
and also note the brilliancy
of the surface.
In order to avoid
future confusion about which
tesserae were original
and which were not, we purposely
used different materials when
making replacements.
Modern pigments were mixed
in a synthetic resin that were
cast in molds that were used
then to make
the tesserae
of the necessary size and shape.
In order to install the mosaic
in our sculpture garden,
a new wall was constructed
by our stonemasons.
We have an excellent team
of masons at the National
Gallery, and they have helped
conservation with many projects
over the years.
The panels were installed,
original tesserae put back
in place, new tesserae added
as part of the restoration.
And this is the mosaic as you
would see it today.
I urge you to make your way
to the northwest corner
of the sculpture garden
and feast your eyes
on this incredible mosaic, which
when it was originally assembled
in 1971
was one
of the first large-scale outdoor
Chagall mosaics to be installed
in this country.
Untold hours of maintenance
go into the care of works of art
in the sculpture garden
including this mosaic.
Many of the sculptures have
delicate patinas, and paint
layers are adversely affected
by the intense heat, light,
and humidity of Washington
summers, not to mention
overly-curious visitors, rain
and snow--
which causes corrosion--
and in some cases
structural damage.
In these situations,
it's necessary to repaint
outdoor sculpture accepting
the fact that our treatment
options adhere
to a different standard
than we usually apply.
In recent years, conservators
have begun to use modified
formulations
of military camouflage paint--
for example, on an Alexander
Calder--
that were developed
in cooperation by conservators
at the National Gallery
as well as at other institutions
with the US Army Research
Laboratory.
These paints are very high
quality and can improve both
the appearance and longevity
of the outdoor sculpture
painted surface.
Given the large scale
and technical difficulties
in treating works
in the sculpture garden,
some treatment is done
by contractors working offsite
and under the supervision
of the National Gallery
conservation staff.
The Gallery's paper conservators
oversee the care and treatment
of the institution's largest
collection, more than 100,000
drawings, prints,
and rare illustrated books.
Works on paper are particularly
vulnerable to the deteriorating
effects of humidity, light,
and poor quality display
or storage materials.
Here, Kim Schenck, head of paper
conservation, is seen treating
a delicate pastel
by the 18th-century Venetian
artist Pietro Rotari.
Not all damages with paper
are repairable.
Once sensitive watercolors have
faded because of prolonged
exposure to light, there's
no going back, which is why we
display watercolors
for very brief periods of time
and under relatively low light
levels.
Paper conservators are
able to mend tears
with narrow strips of tissue
and fill losses with paper pulp
or individually-sized pieces
of paper that match
the original thickness, texture,
and color of the paper.
Works attached
to harmful supports
must be removed because
of potential damage caused
to the original paper support.
We usually use localized
applications of moisture,
sometimes organic solvents,
and even in some cases heat
to effect these removal.
In some instances,
it's necessary to actually carve
this applied support away
from the back using scalpels.
Obviously, we want to be
careful not to harm
the original paper.
Flaking paint can be
consolidated with adhesives,
similar to the manner done
by painting conservators
and sculpture conservators.
And this is necessary order
to avoid further loss.
Here we see paper conservators
Marian Dirda and Michelle Facini
discussing the treatment
of a work of art
by Winslow Homer.
Often, it may require surface
grime removal, liquid or mold
stains that must be removed,
and discoloration from contact
with a acetic materials that can
affect the appearance
of the drawings and prints.
In some cases, areas of dirt
can be reduced using
soft brushes, special erasers,
scalpels, as long
as we take care not to affect
the original drawing
or paint media.
Removal of stains
or acetic compounds
requires the use of water
or chemicals applied
either locally or overall
when bathed with very
pure water.
These treatments are only
undertaken with the utmost care
and caution,
requiring very thorough testing.
In this image, you see Im Chan,
a Mellon Fellow at the time,
washing a lithograph to remove
discoloration.
Please don't try this at home.
I mean, the results can be
really disastrous.
Proper storage is also very
important for the preservation
of works of art on paper.
Framing specialists typically
hinge prints and drawings
and photographs,
the high-quality backboards
using very thin tissue
as hinges.
Window mats protect the work
of art, which are generally
housed in archival storage
boxes.
Books, fragile pastel drawings,
and double-sided works
require special housing
to support and protect them
while they're in storage
and on display.
And we are very happy to have
an excellent team of technicians
here in the National Gallery
who do many, many things,
including the matting
and framing of works of art
on paper.
To care for the Gallery's
rapidly expanding photography
collection, the Gallery hired
its first photograph
conservator, Connie McCabe,
seen at the left, in 1991.
She is shown with photograph
conservators Sarah Wagner
and Ronel Namde, plus a visiting
French scholar.
Connie, who is now head
of the photograph conservation
department, originally worked
within the paper conservation
department.
But in 2010, her department
became independent from paper
conservation.
That same year, the Andrew W.
Mellon Foundation gave
the Gallery a six-year grant
to hire two
additional photograph
conservators and a scientist
devoted to the study of platinum
and palladium prints.
And here we see Ronel Namde who
is working on a photograph,
and she is one of the people
hired with this grant
from the Mellon Foundation.
In addition to improving
collection care, the photograph
conservators are pursuing
historic, scientific research
on the materials, techniques,
and treatment of photographs
in collaboration
with curators,
other conservators, art
historians, and scientists
from around the world.
A symposium was held
on the topic of platinum
and palladium photographs
in October 2014,
and a book entitled Platinum
and Palladium Photographs,
Technical History,
Connoisseurship,
and Preservation
is being published
and will be available later
this year.
Connie has done an amazing job
spearheading the effort
to complete this book with so
many authors.
This area of conservation
has developed
into a highly-specialized field
owing to the extraordinarily
diverse and complex materials
and chemical processes used
by photographers.
As well as caring
for the collection
in the curatorial department
of photographs, the photograph
conservators assist
with the care
of documentary photographs,
still and motion picture film,
and microfilm housed
in our archives, the library,
and administrative offices
throughout the National Gallery.
The Gallery's textile collection
was first cared for by Joe
Columbus, a private textile
conservator, a wonderful man,
who worked
as a part-time contractor
at the gallery for 20 years.
In 1988, a full-time textile
conservator was hired to address
preservation issues.
And here we see textile
conservator Julia Burke, who
began her tenure at the Gallery
as a contractor
in the late 1980s
and a few years later joined
the staff.
She addresses preservation
issues related to textiles
ranging from antique tapestries
to Robert Rauschenberg's
Hoarfrost Additions,
a series of gauzy works made
with overlapping panels
of fabric such as silk, satin,
and muslin.
On top of dealing
with preventive care concerns
common to all conservators,
the textile conservators
are confronted
with unique challenges.
Fine-hanging textiles,
such as Rauschenberg's Hoarfrost
Additions, must be protected
from damage due to vulnerability
to air currents
while on display.
Upholstery must be conserved
in a manner that's
compatible with the structure
that it adorns,
such as a chair or a couch.
And tapestries are very complex
structures which contain
fine strands of dye fibers, some
of which
might include gold, silk,
and other metallic foils.
The large scale,
considerable weight,
and other properties
of many tapestries and carpets
pose significant challenges
for treatment, display,
and storage.
Aside from handling concerns,
Julia Burke is engaged
in research related
to plant-based dyes
and the scientific analysis
of tapestries.
We actually have greenhouses
here at the National Gallery,
and Julia is working
with the horticultural
department
to grow the plants that have
been used historically to make
antique tapestry or other fabric
dye materials.
As its name suggests,
the preventive conservation
department plays
an important role in averting
damage.
Instead of concentrating
on restoring damaged works
of art, the goal is to prevent
damage altogether.
These conservators focus
on the general care of works
on display in our galleries,
in special exhibitions,
and works loaned
to and by the National Gallery.
A small number of institutions
actually have conservers so
highly specialized in this area.
In this slide,
Bethann Heinbaugh, the head
of preventive conservation,
and conservator Jamie Gleason
are preparing a painting
for loan to another museum using
a special framing technique that
provides a very stable
relative humidity environment
within the frame.
It is difficult to define
the range of activities
of preventive conservation.
The team oversees conservation's
role in special exhibitions,
make recommendations
for the packing and transport
of art, also for display case
design, and also recommendations
for environmental conditions.
Working with other conservators
as well as scientists,
they prepare works
for outgoing loan,
are part of a team
responsible for pest management,
provide recommendations
for emergency responses,
as well as other activities that
relate to the preservation
of the collection.
It is a team effort that often
involves working closely
with other conservators,
curators, exhibition designers,
registrars, and the building
engineers.
Bethann is seen here working
with Noel Ashton, a building
engineer, on a display case
for metal objects which must be
maintained at a lower
relative humidity than normal.
She is holding in her right hand
here a small box or cassette
that contains silica gel,
a desiccant that is used to keep
a lower RH.
And here on the left,
you see Bethann with Gordon
Anson, who's the Gallery's
lighting designer, investigating
the lighting levels in the case.
And at the right, Donna Kirk
who's an exhibition designer,
is reviewing alterations
for the display case
with a carpenter, Lester Dumont.
The Gallery's second director,
John Walker,
recognized that scientists must
play an important role
in the field of conservation.
And with his backing in 1950,
a young chemist, Robert Feller,
was awarded a National Gallery
of Art fellowship
at the Mellon Institute
in Pittsburgh.
Feller's research focused
on the study
of natural and synthetic
varnishes, the deteriorating
effect of light on museum
objects, and the history
of systems used to describe
and order color.
He provided advice
to the National Gallery
on preventive care and undertook
technical studies of works
in the gallery's collection.
In 1976, the gallery hired
its own part-time scientists,
bringing its affiliation
with the Mellon Institute
to a close.
Dr. Feller's laboratory became
part of the Carnegie Mellon
University, and he continued
to work there on issues
important to conservation
for the remainder of his career.
The Gallery's
scientific research department
is one of few in the United
States in a museum.
The scientists provide
technical support
for conservators,
investigate the materials
and techniques of artists,
develop new materials
for conservation,
and explore new techniques
for conservators as well as
scientists who study works
of art.
Many scientific techniques
and instruments are employed
to carry out these activities.
Here, scientists Michael Palmer
and Barbara Berrie are seen
working with the Gallery's
scanning electron microscope.
The department has experts
in the field of chemistry,
botany, conservation, art
history--
in science, there's a specialist
in art history--
and imaging science.
These scientists often
collaborate with others
from major museums, universities
around the world.
The department's
numerous technical studies have
advanced or our understanding
of artist's materials
and techniques.
The department has studied
materials used in industry which
might be applicable to the field
of conservation.
There are relatively
few materials made specifically
for us, by the way.
Usually we're having to adopt
somebody else's materials.
In addition, we do develop
new materials here
at the National Gallery.
And in fact, there are varnishes
as well as inpainting materials
that have been developed here
and are now being sold
by a company.
Recognizing the importance
of science
to the field of conservation,
in 1991 the Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation provided an endowment
to fund the position of the head
of scientific research
and to supplement federal funds
for scientific projects.
In 2006, a new area of study,
digital imaging science,
was added to the department
with a five-year support grant
from the Mellon Foundation.
The program is now permanently
a field of study here
at the National Gallery
and is headed by imaging
scientist John Delaney.
Here, John is using
advanced imaging techniques
to study Giovanni Bellini's The
Feast of the Gods.
Imaging science has developed
advanced approaches
to the identification
of underdrawing in paintings as
well as works of art on paper.
Also, it is very
useful for characterizing
the pigments used by artists
without actually taking samples.
Ultraviolet fluorescence
imaging, which has long been
used by conservators,
is being expanded into a far
more sophisticated tool
for conservation.
I'm not going to say a lot
about the scientific research
department
today because, if you're
interested,
John Delaney and Kathryn Dooley,
another scientist here, will
give a lecture
on the scientific research
department on August the 20th.
Here you see a photograph taken
during one of several workshops
held at the Gallery on artist's
materials.
It is vital that we share
with others the knowledge gained
through our work
and through research.
To that end, the staff
of the conservation division are
encouraged to publish papers
in professional journals, give
lectures-- here I am--
and participate in conferences,
workshops, and symposia.
We also give Gallery talks
on occasion.
When I say Gallery talks,
I mean in the Gallery we do
special tours once in a while.
The National Gallery remains
committed to preserving
and protecting the works of art
it holds in trust
for the American people.
Taking advantage of the very
best technology available
and developing advanced methods
and techniques, the conservation
division's goal is to ensure
that works of art
in the nation's collection
is available for visitors
for years to come.
Thank you very much.
[APPLAUSE]
