As Mr. Carson showed me around the labs I started to realize that really what the GCI and other conservationists do is quite simple- they just try to understand the science of art. Today the GCI is studying materials used by modern artists, so in the future they will already have conservation methods for when modern art needs work. One such project has to do with the resins used to make plastic sculptures. The sculptures are particularly hard to repair because conservators do not have the right sealants and plastics to fill in cracks and blemishes. The Getty is currently work-ing on those resins and sealants and when modern art starts to deteriorate they will have the necessary tools to fix the pieces.
The Smithsonian Institute is also doing research on the conservation of modern art, and they are already faced with preserving some of the pieces of modern art in their collection. At the Smithsonian Hirshhorn museum scientists looked at a latex sculpture completed by Paul Thek called “Fishman.” The sculpture, had lost it soft coloring to a darker orange color, and several fingers had broken off, as well as other pieces of the body. The Smithsonian Museums Conservation Institute first studied the latex and how it had deteriorated. They eventually determined that the latex color was unchangeable, and they would have to live with orange and not Thek’s original yellow. The Conservation Institute also discovered they could not move or fix any part of the body in a different position. They added some latex, to more clearly define the sculpture as a man, but little more could be done. Perhaps efforts by the GCI and Smithsonian will lead to innovations which could help conserve pieces like “Fishman” in the future.
One issue in conservation is keeping the artwork original. Take for example “Fishman”, some wonder if adding latex makes the artwork a new piece and not the artist’s original piece. To achieve originality, artwork is often not changed drastically and conservation can be limited. Still the GCI has clever ways of making a piece of art appear to be in perfect condition, like cleaning, taking off varnish, or even changing the type of light the piece is presented in . An example of this cleverness can be found at the Getty Villa, where the curators hide cracks in vases by displaying the fragments of the vase as a whole and fixing the pieces tightly together to create the illusion of an uncracked vase. The GCI has also done extensive research on how to safely and effectively use lights to illuminate paintings and sculptures.
Art conservation is a very delicate science. Museums are careful when navigating the border between art that is presentable and art that has its intentions intact. Sometimes we have the technology to make art look brand new, but decide not to use it in order to preserve the artist's original vision. Art Institutes employ science for conservation, but do so carefully.