Museum guests have a final opportunity view an exhibition that fuses good, old-fashioned detective work with the high-tech world of exotic tools and cutting-edge science. “Conservation: Where Art and Science Meet” closes Monday evening, Sept. 3 at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. Until then, guests may immerse themselves in the rarely seen world of object conservation — a fascinating and compelling mix of disciplines — history and art with science — with much the same aura as today’s crime scene investigation dramas, without the criminal element.
Click here to view a full list of current exhibits at the Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.
Antiques that were centuries in the making owe their continued existence to professional conservators who use the latest techniques to stem the ravages of age. The exhibition leads museum guests through a behind-the-scenes examination of conservation practices that begins with the object’s creation. As they follow an antique’s “DNA” beginning with the object’s manufacture, they see its interaction with external forces that influences the object. Eventually, the journey concludes with conservators who analyze and document the forensic evidence and use it to make their treatment decisions.
“Our conservators are among the very best in their profession,” said Ronald Hurst, vice president of collections, conservation and museums. “Their dedication and expertise are evidenced by the superior care and treatment afforded the thousands of antiques and works of art in the collections. This intriguing exhibition illustrates the conservators’ key role at the museum.”
The exhibition also enlightens guests about care for their own keepsakes — encouraging them to apply conservation principles at home. Nearly 70 objects and hands-on activities illustrate museum practices as they suggest methods to care for family treasures. The enemies are the same — light, pests, pollution, temperature, humidity and poor handling all take their toll at home and in museums.
The exhibition also examines the sophisticated tools available to modern conservators: X-radiography, X-ray fluorescence, microscopy, infrared light spectroscopy and others.
