This two-day symposium explores the history and ethics of drawings conservation, from early restoration methods to contemporary approaches in professional practice. By examining how drawings have been repaired, stabilized, and preserved over time, the sessions consider the evolving standards of care and address ethical questions of intervention. They also reflect on the role of material evidence in art-historical interpretation and the changing responsibilities of artists, conservators, curators, and collectors over a drawing’s lifetime.
Co-organized by the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Rijksmuseum, the symposium will feature presentations spanning four centuries of drawing from an international slate of speakers.