ConservArte
ConservArte: Citi-CSMVS Art Conservation Project is a pioneering art conservation initiative headed by a corporate-museum partnership. Commenced in 2015, ConservArte is one of the first project to be sustained at its scale in India. Over the past 7 years, the department has conserved 7798 historic art objects, leading to 10 exhibitions showcased to 660,000 visitors, 23 collaborations, 55 technical lectures and workshops, and 24 fellowships. It has engaged in the capacity building of more than 1500 students and professionals over the course of its existence.
The project is an exemplar of modern art conservation practice, and has been showcased and captured both nationally and internationally through lectures and publications. The state-of-the-art storages being designed for the museum will care for its 70,000 strong collections of historic and artistic works of various types and technologies, spanning 5000 years of the history- from the Indus Civilisation to the contemporary age. The upgraded art conservation centre is being refurbished to position itself at the forefront of the Indian cultural heritage conservation movement.
ConservArte activities continued during the pandemic with a focus on the prime objective of safeguarding the art collection at the CSMVS, successful at meeting its conservation targets.
Activities
Objects that are selected for conservation and restoration cover a range of periods, styles, schools and technologies. Conservation treatments are implemented and the records of the various treatment processes are compiled. Technical studies with the help of infrared imaging, stereomicroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, ultraviolet fluorescence, XRF, X-Rays inform conservation decisions. Art historical inputs as well as information on the material and technology of various types of art objects add to the knowledge base of the objects.
Exhibition Series on Art Conservation (2016–2022)
The CSMVS Museum Art Conservation Centre’s commitment to the care of the Museum’s collection, with informed attention to health and safety considerations, during the Pandemic year 2020 can be glimpsed from the publication below.