A restoration expert has expressed concerns that valuable art works could be literally rotting away under their owners noses. Specialist ceramic restorer Penny Bendall says
“The concern is that people who have already lost money in the recession could be watching investments literally rot away because art is being kept in the wrong place or the wrong conditions,. “
“And often it’s a matter of taking simple steps - the sort of thing they showed you how to do on Blue Peter. It’s a bit like shoes - keep them clean and polished and they’ll last.”
Bendall came to prominence three years ago after re-building three Quing Dynasty vases (featured above) shattered at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. So concerned has she become about the issue that she is organising a conservation conference for the 26th and 27th of October. Speakers at “the art of conservation” conference at the V&A in South Kensington, include Robert Child, Head of Conservation at the National Museum of Wales, Jo Dillon, Objects Conservator at The Fitzwilliam Museum, and Rupert Featherstone, who was Senior Painting Conservator for The Royal Collection.
Irish readers who are concerned about the condition of an artwork they own or are worried about how best to store it should contact an expert such as the Art Clinic to seek advice.
