- ArtWatch International
ArtWatch International was founded by James Beck,
professor ofart history atColumbia University , to monitor, and campaign for better practices in, the conservation of art works. The United Kingdom branch, ArtWatch UK, is run by Michael Daley.Activities
In 1991, Beck criticised the cleaning of a sculpture in
Lucca cathedral inItaly . As a result the conservator sued him for "aggravated slander", which carries a possible three-year prison sentence. Beck won the case and subsequently co-founded ArtWatch."In Memoriam", "The Art Newspaper", July/August 2007.]ArtWatch has been critical of many conservation practices and projects, including the restoration of
Leonardo da Vinci 's The Last Supper and therestoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes . In 2004, it raised an unsuccessful petition to halt the restoration ofMichelangelo's David .Beck was, and Daley is, frequently outspoken and their opinions on recent restorations have been covered regularly by the press. [ [http://www.ukic.org.uk/members/news.html ukic.org] ] [ [http://www.artwatchinternational.org/db_images/pdfs/RaphaelPinksTimes19Oct2004.mht artwatchinternational.org] ] However, they have been equally strongly opposed by those they criticise. The Surveyor of the Fabric of
St. Paul's Cathedral , who oversaw a 2004 cleaning of the cathedral that came under fire by Daley, retorted that "ArtWatch UK sounds very grand, but seems to be the view of one person." [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-7-1139770,00.html "The Times"] ]Ludwig Burchard
In April 2006 the ArtWatch UK Journal published research into Ludwig Burchard, a scholar who had made many attributions to Rubens. This showed that Burchard had been prepared to make false attributions for commercial gain. It again called into question the authenticity of the
National Gallery 's "Samson and Delilah" - and the integrity of the then directorNeil MacGregor . The research was conducted by Kasia Pisarek, a graduate of theSorbonne in Paris who is completing a PhD at theUniversity of Warsaw . [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2113059,00.html "My, What a Fabulous Rubens. Is It Real?" by Dalya Alberge, "The Times",April 1 ,2006 ] RetrievedApril 1 ,2006 ]ee also
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Art conservation and restoration References
External links
* [http://www.artwatchinternational.org ArtWatch International web site]
* [http://www.artwatch.org.uk ArtWatch UK web site]
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