The Position of the Conservator in the Last Quarter of the Twentieth Century

Abstract

ON SEPTEMBER 18, 1978, at the Oxford meetings of IIC, I delivered an oral statement evaluating the position of the art conservator in the last quarter of the twentieth century. My husband, Sheldon Keck, in his capacity as IIC President, introduced me to the audience. It was an honor for us to share a platform commemorating Dr. Edward Waldo Forbes. We met in the first course either of us ever took in the subject of art conservation. The course was listed in the Harvard curriculum as Fine Arts 15B, it was held at the Fogg Museum, described as Methods and Processes of Painting, George Stout was teaching assistant, and the instructor was Dr. Forbes. By tradition, supposedly, the Forbes Prize lecture must be delivered without benefit of notes. It was. I did not memorize what I said. The subject was of my own choice and I spoke from convictions flavored, as usual, by my strong opinions. I explained in advance, as I shall now, that these opinions, however prejudiced, are derived from long experience. My husband and I have spent our lives in the activities of art conservation. For some thirty years we worked, severally and together, in and out of museum laboratories. We have known, worked for, worked with many of the great figures of our field. For the last dozen years or so we have concentrated on efforts to teach, Although We continue a limited private practice in painting conservation, our current occupation is in academia. We are both professors at the Cooperstown Graduate Program in art conservation training. Statements expressed in black and white are seldom as effective an encouragement toward a chan&e of habits as vocal pyrotechnics. Certain adjustments are requisite. I do hope, however, that my criticisms will be accepted by the reader in the same spirit they were at Oxford, and that I may anticipate as thoughtful a response.