ArtBabble: Conservation Science

Picasso: Guitars 1912-1914: History and Conservation of Still Life with Guitar

MoMA The Museum of Modern Art — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:42:45 +0000

Series:

Behind the Scenes at MoMA

Picasso: Guitars 1912-1914

Institution:

MoMA The Museum of Modern Art

Picasso: Guitars 1912-1914
The Museum of Modern Art, February 13-June 6, 2011

Produced by CK Studios, Inc.

Charlotte Hale: "Bellini's St. Francis in the Desert: New Discoveries"

The Frick Collection — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 11:23:34 +0000

Institution:

The Frick Collection

June 8, 2011
In the spring of 2010 Bellini’s St. Francis in the Desert underwent an unprecedented technical study at The Metropolitan Museum of Art that incorporated infrared reflectography, X-radiography, surface examination, and paint analysis. The results, which are presented in this lecture by Charlotte Hale, expand our understanding of the evolution and history of this spectacular, enigmatic painting. This lecture was made possible by the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation.

A Golden Spider-Silk Textile at the Art Institute of Chicago

Art Institute of Chicago — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 21:59:28 +0000

Series:

Art Institute Installations

Institution:

Art Institute of Chicago

Get a behind-the-scenes look at this history and creation of this dazzling textile, the only one of its kind in the world, made from the strands of silk from over one million of Madagascar’s golden orb spiders. On view at the Art Institute of Chicago through October 2011.

Verbeeck's Battle: Restoring War in the Conservation Lab

National Gallery of Art, Washington — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 16:22:13 +0000

Institution:

National Gallery of Art, Washington

At the time of their acquisition in 1995, Cornelis Verbeeck's paintings Dutch Warship Attacking a Spanish Galley and Spanish Galleon Firing Its Cannons were covered with layers of discolored varnish. Their sojourn in the conservation lab, however, revealed a complex story that transformed our understanding of these paintings.

A Renaissance Cabinet Rediscovered

The J. Paul Getty Museum — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 22:17:05 +0000

Institution:

The J. Paul Getty Museum

A cabinet J. Paul Getty acquired in 1971 was for many years believed to be a fake made in the 1800s. Through scientific, visual, and archival analysis, scholars at the Getty proved that the cabinet is an original piece of Renaissance furniture made in 1580 in Burgundy, France. Narrated by Getty conservator Arlen Heginbotham, this video explores key scientific methods used to examine the cabinet. Tree-ring dating was used to determine the authenticity of the cabinet's wood and several different scientific instruments were used to analyze a fragment of a metal tack found in the cabinet.

Behind the Scenes at the DIA: Part 2

Detroit Institute of Arts — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 20:30:56 +0000

Series:

In The Frame: Exploring the Detroit Institute of Arts

Institution:

Detroit Institute of Arts

The DIA encompasses thousands of square footage of gallery space, the entire public portion of the museum allows for only a fraction of the total collection to be on display at any one time. So what's in storage? What's involved in storing thousands of items in the collection? What does it mean to deaccession a particular artifact or artwork? In this episode you get a behind the scenes glimpse of everything at the DIA that you don't usually see.

Behind the Scenes at the DIA: Part 1

Detroit Institute of Arts — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 20:30:32 +0000

Series:

In The Frame: Exploring the Detroit Institute of Arts

Institution:

Detroit Institute of Arts

#2 Fakes, Forgeries, and Mysteries: Portrait of a Young Woman

Detroit Institute of Arts — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:12:27 +0000

Institution:

Detroit Institute of Arts

Watch museum experts solve the DIA's greatest art mysteries! Check back each week for a new whodunit. Visit dia.org today and get your tickets to see Fakes, Forgeries and Mysteries.

#1 Fakes, Forgeries, and Mysteries

Detroit Institute of Arts — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 19:37:38 +0000

Institution:

Detroit Institute of Arts

Watch museum experts solve the DIA's greatest art mysteries! Check back each week for a new whodunit. Visit dia.org today and get your tickets to see Fakes, Forgeries and Mysteries.

Preserving Art: Untitled (Plastic Cups)

Indianapolis Museum of Art — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 14:04:48 +0000

Institution:

Indianapolis Museum of Art

Richard McCoy, Associate Conservator of Objects & Variable Art and Greg Smith, Senior Conservation Scientist discuss the conservation and material considerations of Tara Donovan's work Untitled (Plastic Cups).