Art, Biology, and Conservation: Biodeterioration of Works of Art (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300104820 ISBN 13: 9780300104820

Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004

Synopsis

Despite the perception that artworks are timeless and unchanging, they are actually subject to biological attack from a variety of sources—from bacteria to fungi to insects. This groundbreaking volume, which publishes the proceedings of a conference held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2002, explores how the development of these organisms can be arrested while preserving both the work of art and the health of the conservator.

The richly illustrated text, containing the writings of over 40 scientists and conservators, is divided into sections on stone and mural paintings, paper, textiles, wood and archaeological materials, treatment and prevention, and special topics. The artworks and cultural properties discussed include, among many others, Paleolithic cave paintings, Tiffany drawings, huts built by early Antarctic explorers, and a collection of toothbrushes taken from Auschwitz victims.

About this title

About the Author:

Robert J. Koestler is a research scientist at The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Victoria H. Koestler is a freelance writer and editor; A. Elena Charola is a freelance conservation scientist; and Fernando E. Nieto-Fernandez is a biologist at Old Westbury College, New York.

Review:

In this groundbreaking volume, scientists and conservators discuss how to protect and preserve artworks in many different media from biological attack.

About this edition

• Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0300104820
• ISBN 13: 9780300104820
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 576
• Editor: Koestler Robert J., Koestler Victoria H., Charola A. Elena, Nieto-Fernandez Fernando E.