Les débats des commissions consultatives de restauration des peintures (1882-1937) : vers une déontologie de la restauration

Abstract

The debates of the Advisory Committee on Painting (1882-1937) : towards a deontology of conservation Beginning in 1882, an advisory committee for the conservation of paintings was created at the Louvre Museum, which revolutionized the history of the conservation-restoration. For the first time experts, painters, connoisseurs and politicians came together to supervise conservation projects. This advisory committee fixed standards for the field, and its opinion had to be obtained before undertaking any operation of conservation. Members of the committee gave much thought to different possible techniques and discussed the status of the conservator. This allowed for a gradual increase in awareness : 19th-century conservation methods were banned and emphasized was placed on the authenticity of a work of art. Resolutions drawn up by the committee from 1882 to 1937 provide a precious glimpse into the way in which ideas on conservation-restoration evolved over the course of this still relatively unstudied period. A close reading of these resolutions reveals that the Committee, even without the benefits of modern science, anticipated the fundamental principles of modern conservation-restoration and laid the foundations for a deontology for the discipline. From this period on, the restoration of paintings becomes an important issue in the conservation of cultural heritage. A perfect restoration indeed has to reveal both the aesthetic and historical unity of a work of art to the public.