A selection of modern paint materials. The artists' paint market underwent a dramatic change in the 20th century with the development of synthetic paints. Created for the burgeoning house paint market, paints containing synthetic resins allowed for more rapid drying and displayed less yellowing with age than paints made with oil—the traditional binding medium. Synthetic paints were eventually formulated for the artists' market. By the 1960s one of these—acrylic emulsion paint—was becoming among the most widely used paint materials. Photo: © Tate, London 2002.

Modern Science and Contemporary Paintings: Preserving an Evolving Legacy
Paintings produced in earlier eras used a relatively circumscribed range of artists’ materials. Today artists are not limited to these traditional materials but may also choose from a variety of commercial paint media—such as acrylics, nitrocellulose, and alkyds—as well as a profusion of synthetic pigments. Given that research into artists’ materials and their use plays an important role in conservation, the tremendous increase in the number of available materials creates new challenges for conservation professionals.

Time and Change: A Discussion about the Conservation of Modern and Contemporary Art
Those charged with conserving modern and contemporary art confront a variety of practical and philosophical considerations. Conservators Jim Coddington and Carol Mancusi-Ungaro and art historian Kirk Varnedoe shared their thoughts on a number of these complicated but intriguing issues with the GCI's Jeffrey Levin.

Modern Paints: A New Collaborative Research Project
Knowledge regarding how well modern paint media will withstand the passage of time remains extremely limited. A new integrated collaborative project—initiated in 2002 by Tate in London, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Getty Conservation Institute—will address some of the questions we have regarding the character of modern paint materials. The project will conduct research in three main areas: cleaning of modern paintings, chemical analysis, and physical characterization.

Conserving the Buddhist Wall Paintings at Mogao
Since 1989 the Getty Conservation Institute and the Dunhuang Academy have collaborated on conservation at the Mogao grottoes, an important site of Buddhist worship along China’s Silk Road, today inscribed on the World Heritage List. Beginning in 1997, one aspect of the collaboration has focused on the conservation of wall paintings. The wall paintings project is developing approaches that will have wide application not only at Mogao but also at similar sites on the Silk Road.

GCI News: Projects, Events, Publications and Staff
Updates on Getty Conservation Institute projects, events, publications, and staff.

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