research @ ts2: research at the restoration department

Location: Temporary Stedelijk 2, Auditorium
Language: Dutch
Entrance: free with a valid entrance ticket to the museum
Reservations: It is necessary to reserve seats

Programme

1.30 Introduction by Sandra Weerdenburg (Hoofd Restauratie en Conservering, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam)     

1.40 Lecture by Elisabeth Bracht (restorer of paintings, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam)

2.10 Lecture by Monica Marchesi and Tessa Rietveld (restorers, Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam)

2.40 Lecture by Lydia Beerkens (freelance restorer of modern and contemporary art)

3.10 Questions and discussion

3.30 End 

N.b.: All indicated times are approximate. 

More information on lectures and speakers

1 – The significance of Mondrian, lost and regained

by Elisabeth Bracht 

The Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam has five abstract compositions by the artist Piet Mondrian (1872-1944). In 2007 it was decided to restore the paintings because the edges were damaged and the retouching was discoloured. Extensive research was done into the condition of the paintings, the use of materials and of Mondrian’s working methods in order to come up with a proposal for the restoration.

Following a brief summary, the lecture places the five works in the context of the development of painting.  This is followed by a further reflection on the condition and restoration of one of the paintings: Composition in red, yellow and blue, dating from 1927. The work was extensively restored in the past, presumably because of the cracks which had appeared in the layers of paint. This was reviewed in 2007 and an attempt was made to restore the painting to approximately its original state. The original frame, which was lost, was reconstructed.  

Elisabeth Bracht was born in Lemgo in Germany. She trained as a restorer at the Fachhochschule in Stuttgart. In 1974 she settled in The Hague as a freelance restorer of paintings. From late 1974 to 2010 she worked as a restorer of paintings in the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, where she was responsible for the conservation of the collection of paintings for many years, together with her colleague Louise Wijnberg. Amongst other works, Elisabeth restored Cathedra by Barnett Newman and she supervised the restoration of Mondrian’s abstract compositions. 

2 – Photography, the  “imperfect image”

by Tessa Rietveld and Monica Marchesi 

In many cases photographs contain a wealth of visual information. Photographs can provide a faithful impression of reality which is very attractive and convincing. At the same time photographs are  “imperfect” images, because they are chemically unstable.  Some procedures are more unstable than others, and colour photographs in particular degenerate quite quickly. This process is irreversible, and consequently photographs undergo great visual changes in a short time.

Nevertheless, there has been an enormous increase in the way in which photography is valued: in the past 30 years photography has become an accepted, institutionalised art form.  In the collections of both museums and private collectors, art works using photographic procedures have played an increasingly prominent role. In addition, photographic art works have a great economic value.

Therefore the degradation processes which affect photographs are more important than ever. After all, changes in the photographic image have enormous consequences for the perception and value of the art work.

Monica Marchesi (1971) studied the history of art and completed a course in Paper restoration in Florence, Italy. She came to the Netherlands in 2000 and worked as a paper restorer for the Boymans Van Beuningen Museum until 2006. Since September 2006 she has also worked for the restoration department of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. 

Tessa Rietveld (1963) graduated from the Restoration Course at the Instituut Collectie Nederland in 1993. Since that time she has worked as an independent paper restorer for various museums. Rietveld has worked for the restoration department of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam since 2008. 

Rietveld and Marchesi are responsible for restoring and maintaining the collections of prints, drawings, artists’ books, graphic design and photography in the best possible condition.

3 – On the conservation of “Arte Povera” art, made of humble materials

by Lydia Beerkens 

The collection of the Stedelijk Museum contains many sculptures and spatial works made of unusual materials and combinations of materials.  This entails specific problems and questions for the restorer.  How do you restore a machine made of scrap iron which has to run and make a noise? What do you do if the neon tubes which an artist used in the late 1960s are no longer available? An interview with the artist can help to answer questions about the original technology or intention of the work. In addition, the restorer weighs up considerations related to conserving the original materials, restoring or replacing them, retouching works and adaptations to the installation of art works. This lecture deals with the successive stages in the decision making related to the recent restoration of two Arte Povera works in the collection.

Albero di Terra (1986) by Giuseppe Penone and Zoo Geometrico (1969) by Claudio Parmiggiani both consist of different materials, with textile as the most important component.  In both cases the main damage related to an aspect of textile, respectively a cotton “tree trunk” and a triangular wooden shape covered with a giraffe print on felt. In Zoo Geometrico the condition of the giraffe element and Parmiggiani’s information about the design and the printing technique which was used justified the choice for a reconstruction. For Albero di terra the textile component, the tree trunk, turned out to have been made by the artist in a very special way in a wood. In this case the condition allowed for the very careful restoration of the textile. In both restorations the information from the artist and their agreement with the approach suggested by the restorer proved to be very important.

Lydia Beerkens is a restorer of modern and contemporary art. She works for various Dutch museums and modern art collections and has also been associated with the Stichting Restauratie Atelier Limburg in Maastricht (SRAL) since 1997. After graduating in history of art at Nijmegen (1983-1989) and following her training as a restorer at SRAL (1990-1995), she was a restorer-researcher with the national projectBehoud moderne kunst (Conservation of modern art), which resulted in 1997 in the international conference Modern Art; Who Cares and in the eponymous publication in 1999. Lydia Beerkens has published works and gives international lectures and workshops on the conservation of contemporary art. She is a member of the board of directors of the Stichting Behoud Moderne Kunst (Foundation for the Conservation of Modern Art).