Magicians, surgeons and detectives – how conservators bring art back to life

One of the great truisms is that the only constant is change – a fate that museums, galleries and collectors are in perpetual contention with. Across collections around the world lie objects, that by all normal terms, should have long ago perished – centuries-old texts, paintings smuggled out of war zones and sculptures rescued from floods. That these objects persist is by the grace of conservation, a science and art that aims to maintain, preserve and restore cultural heritage. 

William Leonard Annois 'Treasury Gardens'

Joseph Banks – ‘Florilegium Syzygium Suborbiculare (Bentham) Eugenia Cymosa- Plate 125’

Over our tenure, we have worked with collectors and conservators to restore paintings, prints and works on paper. Recently, we had Dorothy Braund’s ‘Dirty Dishes’ conserved for a collector – it was varnished, cleaned and cleared – but not stripped of its character. Braund’s dishes were not to be sterilized. The process of conservation is one of care, rejuvenation and protection, not fundamental transformation.

Norman Lindsay’s etching on paper, ‘Where Life Begins (Hyperborea)’ (1923), was also recently conserved for a collector. It was in dire straits – yellowed, acidified, flaking and gnawed by voracious silverfish. Our conservators, experts in conserving Lindsay’s works on paper, brought the etching back from the brink, restoring its luminosity, structural integrity and hygiene, in turn revealing aspects of the work that were until then unknown.  

Conservation can be a surprisingly philosophical and political act. Where is the line between restoration and replica? What happens when the very media an artwork depends upon becomes obsolete and how do you conserve ephemeral acts, like performance art? In working to protect cultural heritage for posterity, conservators grapple with profound existential questions, performing feats that feel both magical and medicinal.

To find out how we can conserve and protect your collection, reach out or visit our Collection Services.