Conservation and Restoration of Paintings and Sculpure
Venue | Paintings, 103, Sculpture, S21
Focus A
The subject of study Conservation and Restoration of Paintings and Sculpture is devoted to the conservation of easel paintings on various supports (predominantly wood and textiles, such as canvas, but also metal and cardboard) and polychrome, three-dimensional works of art.
The spectrum ranges from medieval panel paintings and canvas paintings dating from all periods to 20th century works of art.
Assignments include the treatment of objects from private collectors and museums as well as art within the context of historic buildings and monuments, with formats spanning from cabinet paintings to large-scale altarpieces, each requiring a variety of different conservation strategies.
The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna is the only institution in Austria offering an academic training in the conservation of polychrome sculpture. Special attention is therefore dedicated to this field of specialisation as an integrated part of this subject of study.
From the beginning of their training, students are confronted with real-life conservation problems and challenges, ranging from simple tasks to the treatment of complex forms of damage. An understanding and assessment of damage is conveyed as well as the development of appropriate conservation concepts and their implementation, applying state of the art methods and materials, with preventive conservation measurements being particularly emphasized.