Museum Exhibitions: Innovations for the Conservation of Books and Objects for Display
Malina BelchevaConservation of museum collections for exhibitions is a complex collaborative process between curators, conservators, and exhibition designers, whose principle objective, in realization of the curator’s narrative, is attaining the finest display of museums’ and on loan artworks. The present essay discusses book and paper objects exhibited in museums from the conservator’s perspective, and describes a selection of significant to the history of the Art Institute of Chicago examples of books and objects from the museum special collections conserved for display at: Van Dyck, Rembrandt, and the Portrait Print, Ireland: Crossroads of Art and Design, 1690–1840, Ghosts and Demons in Japanese Prints, What May Come: The Taller de Gráfica Popular and the Mexican Political Print, and Beauty and the Book: 19th and Early 20th Century Folios on the Decorative Arts. The essay also reflects on aspects of conservation treatment before, during, and after exhibition display, case design, construction of custom cradles and supports, environmental requirements for exhibiting books and papers, lighting, security, and exhibit monitoring practices.
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