Yale Bulletin
and Calendar

November 2-9, 1998Volume 27, Number 11


























Renovations bring cutting-edge technology to museum's conservation laboratory

During the past year and a half, while the galleries and roof of the Yale Center for British Art have been undergoing refurbishment, another vital section of the museum -- its conservation laboratory -- has undergone some renovations of its own.

In the conservation laboratory, experts painstakingly restore works of art that have been damaged -- be it by accident, improper handling or simply the ravages of time.

As a result of the recent renovation, the laboratory now features cutting-edge conservation technology that enhances the safety of both the artworks and the technicians who work on them.

This equipment includes a state-of-the-art ventilation system with a large chemical fume hood, a chemical exhaust canopy and a flexible vapor extractor arm. Each of these pieces of equipment is designed to whisk away the vapors from hazardous chemicals that are used by conservators to remove adhesives and deteriorated coatings that can damage works of art.

The large fume hood will allow technicians to treat large-scale works of art, which could not be accommodated previously in the laboratory. Using the new flexible vapor arm, the technicians can now work with chemicals anywhere within the laboratory, rather than being confined to a ventilated area. The auto-flow fume hood system was donated by Paul Holland and W. Gary Peters of Greentech, a firm located in Farmington, Conn.

"This modernization of the conservation laboratory significantly enhances our capability to serve the center's mission of care and preservation of paper-based collections in both our museum and the Yale University Art Gallery," says Theresa Fairbanks, chief conservator at the Yale Center for British Art.

"In addition to our new ventilation equipment, our improved water purification system incorporates deionized water and a column of purified calcium carbonate. Aqueous cleaning of paper-based artworks in this manner not only improves their appearance but chemically helps neutralize acid papers, prolonging the life of the artwork," she explains.

There are nearly 100,000 photographs and works of art in the British Art Center and the Yale Art Gallery. The new equipment will be used soon for treating art by Edward Lear, Marcel Duchamp, Francis Picabia and Antonio Canaletto, among others, says Fairbanks.

In addition to conservation, the laboratory undertakes research and conducts technical examination and authentication of artworks. It has an extensive library on conservation techniques and artists' manuals. The laboratory's staff members teach and lecture about conservation, preservation and connoisseurship of artists' materials and techniques.