Conservators are art heroes: they transform damaged or dirty works of art into beautiful, fresh works for public consumption. Then why is it that conservation has been at the center of some of the biggest art historical controversies of the last fifty years? What does a conservator really do, and what happens when conservation goes too far?
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Many thanks to the incredible Stephanie Pryor for research assistance!
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Want more art-historical goodness? Check out the links below:
NPR: Art Conservators at Work: A Living Exhibit
Smithsonian Magazine: "True Colors"
Hyperallergic: With Its Own Arts Center, Beast Jesus Rises Again
Huffington Post: “Elderly Woman’s Hilarious Failed Attempt At Restoring A 19th Century Fresco In Borja, Spain.”
ArtNet News: “Appalling Restoration Destroys Giotto Frescoes at the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi Parts of the priceless medieval frescoes are now lost forever.”
ArtCurious Virtual Vacation: Mexico City's Galleries and Art Fairs
ArtCurious Virtual Vacation: Mexico City's Museums
ArtCurious + Like Minds Travel: Join us in Venice!
Episode #119: Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful
Author Interview: Joanna Moorhead's "Surreal Spaces: The Life and Art of Leonora Carrington"
Author Interview: Jeannie Marshall's "All Things Move: Learning to Look in the Sistine Chapel"
Author Interview: Patrick Bringley's "All the Beauty in the World"
Episode #118: Modern Love--Marina Abramović and Ulay
Episode #117: Modern Love--Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Part 2
Episode #116: Modern Love--Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, Part 1
Episode #115: Modern Love--Hans (Jean) Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp
Author Interview: Annie Cohen-Salal and "Picasso the Foreigner"
Episode #114: Modern Love--Remedios Varo and Gerardo Lizarraga
Author Interview: Michael Finkel on "The Art Thief"
Episode #113: Modern Love--Lee Miller and Man Ray (Season 13, Episode 6)
Episode #112: Modern Love--Robert Rauschenberg, with Cy Twombly and Jasper Johns (Season 13, Episode 5)
Episode #111: Modern Love--Dora Maar and Pablo Picasso
Episode #110: Modern Love--Jacob Lawrence and Gwendolyn Knight (Season 13, Episode 3)
Episode #109: Modern Love--Anni and Josef Albers (Season 13, Episode 2)
Bonus: Enjoy "The Art of Crime"
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