Organisation: Tate
Principal investigator: Bronwyn Ormsby
Project overview
The Tate has built its conservation science laboratories and materials research to support the UK’s national art collection over the last four decades. The Tate’s expertise in historic British paintings, and modern and contemporary art (M&CA), has grown into a resource of national and international significance.
Tate’s M&CA research encompasses 20th century paints, innovative cleaning science and polymer analysis. Preserving the UK’s cultural heritage requires the appropriate characterisation of materials, to create optimal sustainable storage and display conditions, this is relevant for artworks containing new, degradable and novel materials within sculpture and installation, art and paintings. This project aims to improve access to the Tate’s existing research, equipment and expertise to the wider heritage community.
Project purpose
The project aims to enhance the Tate’s scientific capabilities with new fixed and portable laboratory equipment and expanded access to expertise in M&CA materials research. This project aims to foster collaborative research, broaden access to the Tate’s resources and address emerging conservation challenges posed by novel materials in art collections. By developing new knowledge of these materials and artworks, the project will enhance research.
This project will result in new laboratory equipment that will expand Tate’s polymer analysis capabilities, while the portable equipment will facilitate investigations with other heritage partners, supporting collections nationally. This project will facilitate new research questions and collaborations that will significantly impact the preservation of M&CA across the heritage sector.
Project impacts
This project will enhance the Tate’s role in M&CA conservation and research nationally. This project will support innovative approaches to collection care, influence conservation practices and contribute to a comprehensive digital research service, thereby advancing heritage science and safeguarding cultural heritage in the face of the climate emergency.
