Conference on trends in conservation

Contemporary Trends in Art Conservation
Los Angeles
October 30, 2004

A free conference on October 30, 2004 presents cutting edge
conservation research involving modern paintings and plastic design
objects--and its impact on the museum community as well as the art
market

Leonardo da Vinci, renowned Artist, Scientist, Architect and
Engineer, audaciously combined oil and tempera over dry plaster to
create The Last Supper.  Shortly after its completion, the work
began to deteriorate. Five-hundred years later, after the effects of
war, environmental damage, and numerous restoration attempts, only a
percentage of the original surface remains. Today's artists,
unrestrained by convention, and inundated with a vast array of
organic and synthetic materials, equally blur the lines between
artist and alchemist. Similarly, many of these works reveal signs of
deterioration well within the artists' lifetime; in contrast, most
may not survive beyond our own.

AXA Art Insurance Corporation, the world's leading fine art
insurance company, and the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, collaborate
to host an innovative conference on the conservation of synthetic
materials and its impact on the museum community and art market.
Taking place at the Hammer Museum on Saturday, October 30, 2004,
this free one- day conference features lectures and discussions by
some of the most recognized international experts in the field.  Dr.
Thomas Learner, Senior Conservation Scientists at the TATE will
lecture on Modern Paints, and Kathrin Kessler, Conservator for the
Vitra Design Museum, will lecture on Plastic Design Objects.  Panel
discussions follow each lecture, comprising leading members of the
Los Angeles Art Community.  Panel topics include Materials, Marring
and the Market, and Form, Function or Forget it?; each addressing
various issues relating to the impact of conservation research and
practice upon the art market and museum community, including the
difficulties of assessing condition for objects with
non-conventional media, and the challenges of lending, exhibiting,
and storing contemporary works of art.

"Collecting fine art brings with it the responsibility to protect
and preserve those objects for future generations to enjoy and
appreciate. AXA Art is committed to supporting efforts that enhance
our understanding of and ability to properly care for and preserve
objects of art", says Christiane Fischer, Chief Executive Officer of
AXA Art Insurance Corporation. "As a specialist insurer in the field
of fine arts and collectibles, we embrace the initiative by the
Hammer Museum to host this discussion advancing the understanding of
preservation techniques and conservation methods in the, so far,
unexplored field of avant-garde materials. Conservation research
inevitably impacts the long-term condition and consequently the
value of individual art objects, entire collections, and as such the
art market at large."

Participants in the October 30, 2004 conference include: Wendy
Brandow, Director, Margo Leavin Gallery; Bryan Cooke, President,
Cooke's Crating; Eames Demetrios, Executive Director, Eames Office;
Nancy Escher, ASA Fine Art Appraiser, Escher Associates; Robert
Hollister, Director of Collections and Registration, MOCA; Jo
Lauria, Independent Art Curator and Consultant; Peter Loughrey, Los
Angeles Modern Auctions, Don Menveg, Associate Art Conservator,
LACMA; and Katherine Watkins, Vice President, Director of Decorative
Arts, Sotheby's Beverly Hills.

About AXA Art Insurance: AXA Art is the leading fine art insurance
specialist worldwide. The company provides insurance coverage to
private collectors, museums, exhibitions, dealers and corporate
collectors from the young collector of contemporary art to major
international shows. AXA Art is committed to supporting initiatives
devoted to finding new ways and means to preserve works of art,
collectibles and artifacts through the AXA Art Conservation Project.
The AXA Art Conservation Project began in 2001, with the
collaboration between AXA Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Museum
of Modern Art. This original project focused on the analysis and
conservation techniques of monochromatic paintings. Contemporary
Trends in Conservation derives from the AXA Art Conservation Project
in Conjunction with the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein,
Germany, a project exploring issues in the conservation of Plastics.
For more information on the AXA Art Conservation Project, please see
<URL:http://www.collectorsworld.org>.

About Hammer Museum: The Hammer Museum is dedicated to exploring the
diversity of artistic expression through the ages, recognizing that
artists play a crucial role in all aspects of culture and society.
The Museum's programming spans the classics to the cutting-edge,
presenting exhibitions of historical and contemporary art alongside
selections from its permanent collections. Founded by Dr. Armand
Hammer in 1990, the Museum's collections include The Armand Hammer
Collection of Old Master, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist
paintings; The Armand Hammer Daumier and Contemporaries Collection;
The Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, containing over 40,000
works on paper; and the Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden on the
UCLA campus.

In addition to selections from its permanent collections, the Hammer
Museum presents a range of exhibitions of historical and
contemporary art, architecture, and design. The Museum also presents
approximately ten Hammer Projects each year focusing on the work of
emerging artists. The series provides international and local
artists with a laboratory-like environment to create new work or to
present existing work in a new context, and reflects the Museum's
commitment to serving artists by providing a responsive, flexible
arena for presenting their work to the Los Angeles community. For
more information about the Museum's programs, visit
<URL:http://www.hammer.ucla.edu>.

Contacts:

    AXA Art Insurance Corporation
    Lisa Marie Zaher 646-642-2845
    lzaher [at] axa-art-usa__com
    Hammer Museum
    Steffen Boddeker 310-443-7061
    boddeker [at] arts__ucla__edu


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 18:17
                 Distributed: Thursday, October 7, 2004
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