Decorative Arts and Sculpture Conservation cares for the Getty Museum’s three-dimensional artworks dating from medieval to modern times. The department focuses on the long-term care of the collections and has made advancements in preventive measures for highly vulnerable tapestries and silver objects as well as in the treatment of marble sculpture and European furniture. When the Museum acquired a large outdoor modern sculpture collection as a gift from Fran and Ray Stark in 2007, the department became responsible for its conservation and maintenance, inspiring new research.
The department collaborates with curators to publish findings from advanced technical studies of the collection. Topics of exploration include computed tomography (CT) reconstructions and non-invasive dendrochronology, improved methods for identifying artist materials, and the analysis of copper alloys and patinas.
Along with their counterparts at the Getty Villa, the department’s mountmakers are renowned experts in the protection of artworks in the event of earthquakes. In conjunction with structural and seismic engineers, the mountmakers design and fabricate mounts and isolation mechanisms for the secure display of collection objects and loans.
