Illustrated with contemporary case studies, Curating Design provides a history of and introduction to design curatorial practice both within and outside the museum. Donna Loveday begins by tracing the history of the collecting and display of designed objects in museums and exhibitions from the 19th century 'cabinet of curiosities' to the present day design museum. She then explores the changing role of the curator since the 1980s, with curators becoming much more than just ‘keepers’ of a collection, with a remit to create narrative and experiential exhibitions as well as develop the museum’s role as a space of learning for its visitors. Curating as a practice now describes the production of a number of cultural and creative outputs, ranging from exhibitions to art festivals; shopping environments to health centres; conferences to film programming as well as museums and galleries. Loveday explores how design has come to the fore in curatorial practice, with new design museums opening around the world as well as blockbusting exhibitions of fashion and popular culture. Interviews with leading practitioners from international design and arts museums provide a spotlight on contemporary challenges and best practice in design curatorship.

As a result of the Napoleonic wars, vast numbers of Old Master paintings were released on to the market from public and private collections across continental Europe. The knock-on effect was the growth of the market for Old Masters from the 1790s up to the early 1930s, when the Great Depression put an end to its expansion. This book explores the global movement of Old Master paintings and investigates some of the changes in the art market that took place as a result of this new interest. Arguably, the most important phenomenon was the diminishing of the traditional figure of the art agent and the rise of more visible, increasingly professional, dealerships; firms such as Colnaghi and Agnew's in Britain, Goupil in France and Knoedler in the USA, came into existence. Old Masters Worldwide explores the ways in which the pioneering practices of such businesses contributed to shape a changing market.

Art Markets, Agents and Collectors brings together a wide variety of case studies, based on letters and detailed archival research, which nuance the history of the art market and the role of the collector within it. Using diaries, account books and other archival sources, the chapters in this volume show how agents set up networks and acquired works of art, often developing the taste and knowledge of the collectors for whom they were working. They are therefore seen as important actors in the market, having a specific role that separates them from auctioneers, dealers, museum curators or amateurs, while at the same time acknowledging and analysing the dual positions that many held. Each chronological period is introduced by a contextual essay, written by a leading expert in the field, which sets out the art market in the period concerned and the ways in which agents functioned. This book is an invaluable tool for those needing an accessible yet broad introduction to the intricate workings of the art market.

This ground-breaking book explores the revolution thats transformed New Zealand museums in recent decades, and is influencing how museums worldwide care for indigenous objects. Drawing on practical examples and interviews with professionals from all kinds of institutions, Dr Conal McCarthy lifts the lid on current practice. How do museum professionals deal with the indigenous objects in their care from day to day? How do they engage with tribal communities? How do they meet the needs of visitors, as well as these communities? The first critical study of its kind, Museums and Maori is an indispensible resource for professionals, students, academics, and museum supporters.

Hinges: Sakaki Hyakusen and the Birth of Nanga Painting is the first US exhibition focusing on the art of Sakaki Hyakusen (1697-1752), the founding father of the Nanga school of painting in Japan. The exhibition, together with a fully illustrated catalog and extensive public programs, will demonstrate Hyakusen's pivotal role as a key figure in the transformation of Japanese painting of the eighteenth century. Highlighting the recent conservation of Mountain Landscape, a rare pair of six-panel landscape screens by Hyakusen, alongside Chinese landscape paintings by traditional masters and works by influential Nanga school painters, the exhibition promises to add significantly to public understanding of the art of conservation and important crosscultural and artistic connections emerging in Japan in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. With an introductory essay by curator Julia M. White, the fully illustrated catalog will include approximately fifty images, and three additional essays. A special chapter on conservation techniques and best practices in East Asian painting adds essential information on a contemporary area of interest. Published in association with the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA). Exhibition dates: UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA): October 2, 2019-February 2, 2020

An informative and inspirational collection of material on period millwork

The era spanning 1870 to 1940 is one of the most architecturally significant in the United States, encompassing three identifiable periods of millwork distinguished by astoundingly beautiful and elaborate industrial wood craftsmanship. In a highly practical, categorical format, Historic Millwork compiles and interprets designs from historic trade catalogs and period trade journals to produce an accurate, indispensable guide to millwork from this era.

Exquisitely visual, comprehensive material is organized first by the type of millwork–doors, windows, mantels, moldings, storefronts, colonnades, stairs, and cabinetry–and then arranged by periods: Late Victorian (1870—1890), Transitional (1890—1920), and Early Modern (1920—1940). Vintage illustrations and contemporary annotations bring to life the ornate details and fine woods used by the artisanal industrialists of the day, providing explicit models for design, construction, and adaptation. A complete glossary defines key terms, and the author supplements each topic with enlightening tips, anecdotes, and specifications for architects and builders that illuminate how different types of millwork can be incorporated into a variety of projects.

In this burgeoning field where authenticity dictates, Historic Millwork is an essential resource for anyone interested in restoring, re-creating, or preserving historic millwork from this expressive era.

Conservation techniques for the analysis and preservation of heritage materials are constantly progressing. Building on the first edition of Conservation Science, this new edition incorporates analytical techniques and data processing methods that have emerged in the past decade and presents them alongside notable case studies for each class of material. An introductory chapter on analytical techniques provides a succinct overview to bring the reader up-to-speed with which type of material each technique is suitable for, the differing sampling techniques that can be employed, and the handling and processing of the resultant data. Subsequent chapters go on to cover all common heritage materials in turn, from natural substances such as wood and stone to modern plastics, detailing the up-to-date techniques for their analysis. With contributions by scientists working in the museum and heritage sector, this textbook will interest students, scientists involved in conservation, and conservators who want to develop their understanding of their collections at a material level.

"My husband Jan finished me on 17 June 1439. . . . My age was 33 years." So speaks Margaret van Eyck from the frame of her portrait. This painted inscription honors its maker Jan van Eyck, even as it blurs the distinction between living subject and painted double. Frame Work, an in-depth study of paintings, sculpture, and manuscript illumination in their varied social settings, argues that frames and framing devices are central to how Renaissance images operate. In a period of rapid cultural change, framing began to secure the very notion of an independent "artwork," and reframings could regulate the meaning attached to works of art-a process that continues in the present day. Highlighting innovations in framing introduced by figures such as Donatello, Giovanni Bellini, and Jean Fouquet, this original book shows how the inventive character of Renaissance frames responds to broader sociopolitical and religious change. The frame emerges as a site of beauty, display, and persuasion, and as a mechanism of control.

Benjamin West's "The Death of the Stag", a tour de force of pictorial theatre and his own unique Scottish masterpiece, has been the focus of high drama for over two centuries. Painted for the Clan Mackenzie in 1786, the gigantic canvas, measuring twelve by seventeen feet, is still the largest in the collection of the National Galleries of Scotland. The painting almost left these shores for America, but after a successful campaign, it was purchased in 1987. In 2004, the work was conserved in situ in the National Gallery of Scotland and this book tells the story of the picture, both in terms of its history and the conservation process.

The Thornham Parva Retable is Britain's largest and best preserved medieval altarpiece. It was found in a loft above a stable at Thornham Hall in Suffolk in 1927. Soon afterwards it was installed in the small thatched church of St Mary, Thornham Parva. In 1987 a detailed study of the Retable in-situ and the Cluny Frontal, now in the Musee National du Moyen Age, Paris, established that both were parts of the altar which was probably made for the Dominican Priory at Thetford. It was saved from destruction after the dissolution of the monasteries in the early 16th century by a local family who adapted it for use as a private altar. After a sustained period of fund raising, the Parochial Church Council entrusted the examination and conservation of the Retable to the Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge. It was moved from the church in 1994. This book documents that project. The results of the technical examination are complemented by a series of articles placing the Retable in a technical and art historical context. Dating of the wooden support suggested that the earliest date of production was probably 1336-40. The altarpiece can now be seen to be of the highest quality and has provided new insights into the sophisticated practice of oil painting in England before the fifteenth century.

This is the first English language technical study of one of the most important Italian artists of the post-WWII period. Lucio Fontana (1899-1968) is widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative post-World War II Italian artists. Best known for his tagli - slashed, mostly monochromatic canvases - Fontana fashioned a remarkably multifaceted oeuvre that encompasses architecture, sculpture, and ceramics, as well as painting. In his quest to expand the vocabulary of his art, Fontana subjected the pictorial surface of his paintings to a remarkable assortment of punctures, gashes, and slashes, as well as adornments of glass fragments, glittering aluminium flakes, and sand. This richly illustrated book presents the first technical study in English of this important painter. Initial chapters present an informative overview of Fontana's life and work.

Among the most radical of the great American Abstract Expressionist painters, Clyfford Still has also long been among the least studied. Still severed ties with the commercial art world in the early 1950s, and his estate at the time of his death in 1980 comprised some 3,125 artworks-including more than 800 paintings-that were all but unknown to the art world. Susan F. Lake and Barbara A. Ramsay were granted access to this collection by the estate and by the Clyfford Still Museum in Denver, which houses this immense corpus today. This volume, based on the authors' materials research project and enriched by their unprecedented access to Still's artworks, paints, correspondence, studio records, and personal library, provides the first detailed account of the artist's materials, working methods, and techniques. Initial chapters provide an engaging and erudite overview of Still's life. Subsequent chapters trace the development of his visionary style, offer in-depth materials analysis of selected works from each decade of his career, and suggest new approaches to the care and conservation of his paintings. The richly illustrated narrative is complemented by a series of technical appendices and a full bibliography.

Discover the extraordinary stories behind the world's missing works of art.

New, small-format impulse-buy books make the perfect self-purchase or gift. Travel back in time to discover works of art that have vanished from the record, as well as those that went missing and have since been reclaimed or recovered.

From the treasures of Tutankhamun to the altarpiece of Ghent, a missing Fabergé egg, and Vincent van Gogh's majestic Sunset at Montmajour, numerous masterpieces have disappeared throughout history as a result of theft, looting, natural catastrophe, or conflict... And some have resurfaced decades or even centuries later. Lost Masterpieces examines the unique story of the most significant of these artworks, the artists who created them, and those thought to be involved in their loss. It explores the various means by which museum curators and international crime investigators have unearthed missing treasures. It highlights the moral dilemma of museums that have profited from looted works of art and examines the recent "heists" made by some nations in an effort to regain their nation's stolen works of art.

Delve into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian tombs, marvel at the hoards unearthed by archaeologists, and discover the skulduggery behind the disappearance of priceless Rembrandts and Vermeers. And see the world of art and antiquities in a whole new light.

The international controversy over who "owns" antiquities has pitted museums against archaeologists and source countries where ancient artifacts are found. In his book "Who Owns Antiquity?," James Cuno argued that antiquities are the cultural property of humankind, not of the countries that lay exclusive claim to them. Now in "Whose Culture?," Cuno assembles preeminent museum directors, curators, and scholars to explain for themselves what's at stake in this struggle--and why the museums' critics couldn't be more wrong.

Source countries and archaeologists favor tough cultural property laws restricting the export of antiquities, have fought for the return of artifacts from museums worldwide, and claim the acquisition of undocumented antiquities encourages looting of archaeological sites. In "Whose Culture?," leading figures from universities and museums in the United States and Britain argue that modern nation-states have at best a dubious connection with the ancient cultures they claim to represent, and that archaeology has been misused by nationalistic identity politics. They explain why exhibition is essential to responsible acquisitions, why our shared art heritage trumps nationalist agendas, why restrictive cultural property laws put antiquities at risk from unstable governments--and more. Defending the principles of art as the legacy of all humankind and museums as instruments of inquiry and tolerance, "Whose Culture?" brings reasoned argument to an issue that for too long has been distorted by politics and emotionalism.

In addition to the editor, the contributors are Kwame Anthony Appiah, Sir John Boardman, Michael F. Brown, Derek Gillman, Neil MacGregor, John Henry Merryman, Philippe de Montebello, David I. Owen, and James C. Y. Watt.

This is the definitive account of the ground-breaking conservation project to conserve the cave paintings of the Mogao Grottoes in China. The Mogao Grottoes, a World Heritage Site in northwestern China, are located along the ancient caravan routes, collectively known as the Silk Road, that once linked China with the West. Founded by a Buddhist monk in the late fourth century, Mogao flourished over the following millennium, as monks, local rulers, and travellers commissioned hundreds of cave temples cut into a mile-long rock cliff and adorned them with vibrant murals. More than 490 decorated grottoes remain, containing thousands of sculptures and some 45,000 square metres of wall paintings, making Mogao one of the world's most significant sites of Buddhist art. In 1997 the Getty Conservation Institute, which had been working with the Dunhuang Academy since 1989, began a case study using the Late-Tang dynasty Cave 85 to develop a methodology that would stabilize the deteriorating wall paintings. This abundantly illustrated volume is the definitive report on the project, which was completed in 2010.

The destruction of ancient monuments and artworks by the Taliban in Afghanistan and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has shocked observers worldwide. Yet iconoclastic erasures of the past date back at least to the mid-1300s BCE, during the Amarna Period of ancient Egypt's 18th dynasty. Far more damage to the past has been inflicted by natural disasters, looters, and public works. Art historian Maxwell Anderson's Antiquities: What Everyone Needs to Know (R) analyzes continuing threats to our heritage, and offers a balanced account of treaties and laws governing the circulation of objects; the history of collecting antiquities; how forgeries are made and detected; how authentic works are documented, stored, dispersed, and displayed; the politics of sending antiquities back to their countries of origin; and the outlook for an expanded legal market. Anderson provides a summary of challenges ahead, including the future of underwater archaeology, the use of drones, remote sensing, and how invisible markings on antiquities will allow them to be traced. Written in question-and-answer format, the book equips readers with a nuanced understanding of the legal, practical, and moral choices that face us all when confronting antiquities in a museum gallery, shop window, or for sale on the Internet.

Featuring detailed scenes of court pageantry and life-size portraits of members of the French Valois dynasty woven in wool, silk, and precious metal-wrapped threads, the Valois Tapestries are one of the most extravagant sets of hangings produced in the 16th century. The precise circumstances surrounding the tapestries' commission and their arrival at the Medici court in Florence, as well as the significance of the specific scenes depicted, however, have eluded scholars for years. Presenting new research into the political maneuvering of the Valois and Medici courts and providing extensive physical analysis gathered during a recent cleaning of the tapestries, this volume offers brand new insight into why these magnificent works were made and what they represent. Distributed for the Cleveland Museum of Art Exhibition Schedule: Cleveland Museum of Art (11/18/18-01/21/19)

Medieval polychrome wood sculptures are highly complex objects, bearers of histories that begin with their original carving and adornment and continue through long centuries of repainting, deterioration, restoration, and conservation. Abundantly illustrated, this book is the first in English to offer a comprehensive overview of the conservation of medieval painted wood sculpture for conservators, curators, and others charged with their care. Beginning with an illuminating discussion of the history, techniques, and meanings of these works, it continues with their examination and documentation, including chapters on the identification of both the wooden support and the polychromy itself-the paint layers, metal leaf, and other materials used for these sculptures. The volume also covers the many aspects of treatment: the process of determining the best approach; consolidation and adhesion of paint, ground, and support; overpaint removal and surface cleaning; and compensation. Four case studies on artworks in the collection of The Cloisters in New York, a comprehensive bibliography, and a checklist to aid in documentation complement the text.

With the inception of cinema, discussions relating to the preservation of film emerged in countries around the globe. Early motion picture collectors, critics, and producers justified film preservation by appealing to cinema's role as art or artifact or through the medium's capacity to document historical events. In the mid to late twentieth century, however, film preservation advocates shifted to validating their work through re-defining and celebrating cinema as cultural heritage. Saving Cinema investigates the evolution of the film preservation movement-from Hollywood studios and U.S. federal institutions, to influential international associations and small cinema collections in developing nations. Western preservation advocates have succeeded in solidifying a material, artifact-driven approach to how society approaches managing historical relics. But the digital era offers an unprecedented opportunity for change in which widespread access to historical media can, itself, be seen as moving image preservation. Saving Cinema examines the significant influence of the film preservation movement upon what has been defined as 'American' film heritage for the scholar, practitioner, and audience. Although most movie enthusiasts around the globe think Hollywood films equate the nation's cinematic output, the popularity of all types of moving images on the internet evidence what film archives have known for years-that industrial and training films, and even videos of the family cat prove just as popular as the latest blockbuster. Saving Cinema illustrates that moving image archives have not merely preserved movie history, but have, instead, actively produced cinematic heritage.

Almost every museum in the world is confronted with plastics in their collections. Research initiatives and knowledge concerning the conservation of heritage objects made of plastics have proliferated over the last twenty-five years, necessitating this up-to-date, comprehensive resource. Intended as a highly practical guide for the conservation community, this authoritative book offers information essential to understanding plastics, polymers, and rubber/elastomers and their behaviors in the cultural heritage context. Numerous graphs, diagrams, and illustrations allow readers to compare the mechanical, physical, thermal, and optical properties of these substances during conservation. Aimed at the hands-on museum practitioner, this book will assist professionals in choosing the appropriate materials for cleaning, adhering, and consolidating plastic objects-with the result that collections will benefit from a longer lifespan. Complementing the main chapters, fifty-six illustrated "fact sheets" summarize, at a glance, the properties of those plastics most commonly found in museum collections. Six informative case studies present real-world examples of current conservation approaches to works of art and design made of plastics and rubber/elastomers. Under the expert authorship of Thea B. van Oosten, conservation scientist, educator, and internationally regarded authority on the behavior and properties of plastics, this instructive volume is destined to become an invaluable resource for the field.

This is a thorough investigation of the material and philosophical aspects of conserving contemporary art. Since the advent of the avant-garde in the early 20th century, visual artists have adopted new techniques and materials, some of whose characteristics of aging and wear are still largely unknown today. The conservator's intervention has become increasingly delicate, problematic, and experimental and requires not only technical knowledge of these materials but also a greater awareness of the artist's intellectual universe. "Conserving Contemporary Art" is one of the first books to give a comprehensive overview of the many considerations faced by the conservator of modern and contemporary art.

The Moroccan city of Fez, founded in the ninth century CE, is one of the most precious urban jewels of Islamic civilization. For more than 40 years Titus Burckhardt worked to document and preserve the artistic and architectural heritage of Fez in particular and Morocco in general. These newly translated lectures, delivered while Burckhardt was living and working in Fez, explore how the historic city can be preserved without turning it from a living organism into a dead museum-city, and how it can be adapted and updated using the values that gave birth to the city and its way of life. Aided by photographs and sketches made during the course of his lifetime, Burckhardt conveys what it means to be a living Islamic city.

Between the ninth and fourteenth century, hundreds of architecturally exquisite Byzantine churches, many of them adorned with beautiful frescoes, were built in the area now known as the Republic of Macedonia. The condition of these buildings has been of ongoing concern because of deterioration and destruction from forces both human and natural, including devastating earthquakes.
This book summarizes the results of a four-year study to develop and test seismic retrofitting techniques for the repair and strengthening of those ancient Byzantine churches still in existence. The volume considers the conservation of historic buildings in seismic zones; surveys the condition of fifty existing Byzantine churches in Macedonia; and details the design, construction, and seismic testing of a half-scale model church. The volume also includes representative experimental and technical data.

The Monochrome of the Sala delle Asse is a portion of wall decoration left at the drawing stage and represents the roots of one of the sixteen mulberry trees that, regularly spaced on the walls of the room, intertwine above to create a polychrome arboreal pavilion on the vault. The Monochrome of the Sala delle Asse is a portion of wall decoration left at the drawing stage and represents the roots of one of the sixteen mulberry trees that, regularly spaced on the walls of the room, intertwine above to create a polychrome arboreal pavilion on the vault. The decoration of the room, which was never completed, is historically tied to the name of Leonardo da Vinci by a letter written in April 1498 by Gualtiero da Bascape, the secretary of Ludovico il Moro, to the duke of Milan, explaining that Lunedi si desarmara la camera grande da le Asse c[i]oe da la tore. Magistro Leonardo promete finirla per tuto Septembre. The room was subjected to radically changing fortunes over the centuries, and was later the object of two complex restoration campaigns, the first carried out between 1893 and 1902 by Luca Beltrami and the second between 1955 and 1956 by Costantino Baroni. This volume provides an account of the result of these restorations. It describes the complex diagnostic research and the technical assessments that form the foundations of a broader project for the conservation of the painted area. Text in English and Italian.