Francine Couture
No. 102 - winter 2012

Conservation, a Collaborative Act between the Artist and the Conservator


The activities of conservation professionals are traditionally based on preserving the original materials of a cultural property.1 The principle of this activity closely allies the notion of an object’s original material integrity with that of its authenticity; this is what the articles in the Dictionnaire encyclopédique de muséologie indicate on the subject of restoration. A concrete application of this view can be found in the obligation of the Code of Ethics of the Canadian Association for Conservation, which stipulates that the conservation professional must respect the original intention of the creator of the cultural property and be governed by an informed respect for the integrity of the property, including physical, conceptual, historical and aesthetic considerations in all of his or her interventions.” 2 This recommendation evokes Cesare Brandi’s restoration theory, which has guided the establishment of restoration and conservation training programs. This theorist defined the activity as follows: “Restoration consists of the methodological moment in which the work of art is recognized for its physical being and its dual aesthetic and historical nature…” 3 Furthermore, he asked restorers to conserve its original material state, because, as a trace of the creative act, it is the vehicle of the work’s historical meaning; and by preserving this state, they can ensure the long-term survival of the artwork’s artistic value and the authenticity of the aesthetic experience associated with it.

Contemporary sculptures that have a potential variability challenge this concept of authenticity based on an artwork’s original material integrity.


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