ArtWatch International
Encyclopedia
ArtWatch International was founded by James Beck
, professor
of art history
at Columbia 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.
's sculpture, the tomb of Ilaria del Caretto in Lucca
cathedral in Italy
. 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.
ArtWatch has been critical of many conservation practices and projects, including the restoration of Leonardo da Vinci
's The Last Supper
and the restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes
. In 2004, it raised an unsuccessful petition to halt the restoration of Michelangelo
's David
, which has since been found to be cracking up.
ArtWatch UK have included a commemorative issue on the late James Beck; a report on the damage to artworks in transit for blockbuster exhibitions; and articles critical of the results of restorations on modern painters like Gustav Klimt
. The November 2008 ArtWatch UK journal contained 20 articles campaigning about developments in the UNESCO-protected city of Saint Petersburg
.
Beck was, and Daley is, frequently outspoken and their opinions on recent restorations have been covered regularly by the press. 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." The investigation of the restoration campaign had been conducted and written by art historian, Florence Hallett.
. The research was conducted by Kasia Pisarek, a graduate of the Sorbonne
in Paris who is completing a PhD at the University of Warsaw
.
James Beck (art historian)
James H. Beck was an American art historian specialising in the Italian Renaissance. He was an outspoken critic of many high-profile restorations and re-attributions of artworks, and founded the pressure group ArtWatch International to campaign against irresponsible practices in the art...
, professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of art history
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, 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 Jacopo della QuerciaJacopo della Quercia
Jacopo della Quercia was an Italian sculptor of the Italian Renaissance, a contemporary of Brunelleschi, Ghiberti and Donatello. He is considered a precursor of Michelangelo.-Biography:...
's sculpture, the tomb of Ilaria del Caretto in Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
cathedral in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. 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.
ArtWatch has been critical of many conservation practices and projects, including the restoration of Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
's The Last Supper
The Last Supper (Leonardo)
The Last Supper is a 15th century mural painting in Milan created by Leonardo da Vinci for his patron Duke Ludovico Sforza and his duchess Beatrice d'Este...
and the restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes
Restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes
The restoration of the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel was one of the most significant art restorations of the 20th century.The Sistine Chapel was built by Pope Sixtus IV within the Vatican immediately to the north of St. Peter's Basilica and completed in about 1481...
. In 2004, it raised an unsuccessful petition to halt the restoration of Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
's David
David (Michelangelo)
David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. It is a marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence...
, which has since been found to be cracking up.
ArtWatch UK have included a commemorative issue on the late James Beck; a report on the damage to artworks in transit for blockbuster exhibitions; and articles critical of the results of restorations on modern painters like Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt was an Austrian Symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. His major works include paintings, murals, sketches, and other art objects...
. The November 2008 ArtWatch UK journal contained 20 articles campaigning about developments in the UNESCO-protected city of Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
.
Beck was, and Daley is, frequently outspoken and their opinions on recent restorations have been covered regularly by the press. 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." The investigation of the restoration campaign had been conducted and written by art historian, Florence Hallett.
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 director Neil MacGregorNeil MacGregor
Robert Neil MacGregor, OM, FSA is an art historian and museum director. He was the Editor of the Burlington Magazine from 1981 to 1987, the Director of the National Gallery, London, from 1987 to 2002, and was appointed Director of the British Museum in 2002...
. The research was conducted by Kasia Pisarek, a graduate of the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
in Paris who is completing a PhD at the University of Warsaw
University of Warsaw
The University of Warsaw is the largest university in Poland and one of the most prestigious, ranked as best Polish university in 2010 and 2011...
.
See also
- Art conservation and restorationArt conservation and restorationConservation-restoration, also referred to as conservation, is a profession devoted to the preservation of cultural heritage for the future. Conservation activities include examination, documentation, treatment, and preventive care...
- Frank Herbert Mason Artwatch activist and artist