Conservation of Wall Paintings

In collaboration with the Courtauld Institute of Art of the University of London, the Getty Conservation Institute launched its first joint training project in 1985, a three-year diploma course in the conservation of wall paintings. This was the first formal training program in the subject ever offered in the United Kingdom.

The course integrated science, art history, and the theory and practice of conservation. The second and third years of the course included opportunities for field work, under supervision, at sites in Europe, Egypt, and the United States.

The Conservation Institute’s co-sponsorship of this program continued for six years. Instruction in the second three-year course was supplemented by international experts and included a period of museum internship. The Courtauld Institute continues to offer the course, which has been transformed into a master's degree program in the conservation of wall paintings.