Bringing innovative scientific techniques to an aesthetic endeavor, paintings conservators face countless decisions as they implement a course of treatment for each picture in their care.

The papers in this book, originally presented at a recent seminar organized by the Getty Museum, explore the values, assumptions, and goals that shape the work of paintings conservators. Six conservators, three curators, and a conservation scientist candidly reflect on the challenges in approaching specific works of art. Each conservator describes a successful conservation effort, as well as a project that, in retrospect, might have been approached differently. Their insights, the responses of the curators and conservation scientist, and the panel discussions contribute to a thoughtful analysis of the ever-evolving art and science of paintings conservation.

Mark Leonard is conservator of paintings at the Getty Museum. Contributors include David Bomford, senior restorer of paintings at the National Gallery, London; Philip Conisbee, senior curator of European paintings at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Carol Mancusi-Ungaro, director of conservation at the Whitney Museum of American Art; Andrea Rothe, formerly senior conservator for special projects at the Getty Museum; Ashok Roy, head of the scientific department of the National Gallery, London; Scott Schaefer, curator of paintings at the Getty Museum; Zahira Véliz, freelance conservator and independent art historian; Jørgen Wadum, chief conservator at the Royal Cabinet of Paintings, Mauritshuis, The Hague; and John Walsh, director emeritus of the Getty Museum.

Price: $30.00