Predicting longevity of ephemera

Thomas Dixon <ngvcons<-a t->vicnet< . >net< . >au>

>Do any institutional art conservators currently have in place or
>know of a rating system which deals with the predicted longevity of
>new acquisitions and the conservation implications of its
>acquisition?

There has been some contributions and some discussion of this
subject during the "International Symposium on the conservation of
modern art in Amsterdam from 8-10 September 1997, entitled: Modern
Art - Who Cares ?

There are postprint to come in 1998. There has been a forum there
with directors from four very prominent european contemporary art
collecting institutions, where nearly identical question where put
to them by the moderator Jacquelin Burckhardt, Conservator-Restorer
and chief-editor of the very important contemporary art magazine
"Parkett"--with mostly negative replies. There has been a
contribution by Pip Laurenson, sculpture conservator at the Tate
Gallery in London, where a system of the kind exists Thomas Dixon is
writing about.

Details, participant list, working group recommendations, a preprint
paper "Development of a decision-making model for the conservation
of contemporary art" by Ijsbrand Hummelen and the programme may
still available from the:

    Foundation for the Conservation of modern Art
    Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage
    P.O.Box 76 709
    1070 KA Amsterdam
    +31 20 673 51 62
    Fax: +31 20 670 08 20

The project coordinator and main symposium organizer is Dionne
Sille. I hope that gives some contacts and ideas for David where to
go for advise.

Hans-Christoph von Imhoff
Conservator-Restaurer
paintings and painted surfaces
CR-SCR, FIIC, PA-AIC
Chemin des Rochettes 6
1752 Villars-sur-Glane
Switzerland
+41-26-401 07 77
Fax: +41-26-401 08 88

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:48
               Distributed: Wednesday, November 26, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-11-48-001
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