Conservation, restoration and re-installation of contemporary art: problems and strategies for preserving the ephemeral
M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russian Federation).
Email: jiabeiyu78@gmail.com
0009-0005-1537-1570Abstract
Background. The article is devoted to the actual problem of the crisis of traditional approaches to the preservation of cultural heritage in the context of the transformation of museum collections. The subject of analysis is the problems and strategies of conservation, restoration and re-installation of contemporary art. Purpose. The author aims to reveal the complex of problems arising in the conservation, restoration and re-installation of contemporary art and to systematize the strategies for addressing them as applied in international museum practice. Methodology. The basis of the research based on a comparative analysis of conservation paradigms and a case-study approach. The theoretical framework draws on the works of C. Brandi and international research, the empirical framework – on the re-installation case studies of works by A. B. Geiger, T. Burr, and E. Kelly. Results. The research reveals that the core problem lies in shifting the focus from preserving the material object to preserving the conceptual identity of the artwork. Three main re-installation strategies are identified: strict reproduction, adaptation to a new space with the artist’s consent and fundamental variability. Interdisciplinary collaboration among conservators, curators and artists is recognized as the optimal model. Practical implications. The results can be used by museums, conservation studios and archives in developing guidelines for working with installations and media objects, as well as in curatorial practice, educational programs and adapting international experience to Russian museum practice.
Keywords
contemporary art conservation, restoration, re-installation, site-specific art, installation, unstable materials, artwork identity, C. Brandi, museum storage, restoration ethics
Консервация, реставрация и реинсталляция произведений современного искусства: проблемы и стратегии сохранения эфемерного
Московский государственный университет им. М.В. Ломоносова (Москва, Российская Федерация).
Email: jiabeiyu78@gmail.com
0009-0005-1537-1570Аннотация
Обоснование. Статья посвящена актуальной проблеме кризиса традиционных подходов к сохранению культурного наследия в условиях трансформации музейных коллекций. Предметом анализа выступают проблемы и стратегии консервации, реставрации и реинсталляции произведений современного искусства. Цель. Автор ставит целью выявление комплекса проблем, возникающих при консервации, реставрации и реинсталляции произведений современного искусства, и систематизацию стратегии их решения, применяемых в международной музейной практике. Метод и методология проведения работы. Основу исследования составляют сравнительный анализ реставрационных парадигм и case-study подход. Теоретическую базу формируют труды Ч. Бранди и зарубежные исследования, эмпирическую – кейсы реинсталляции произведений А.Б. Гейгер, Т. Бёрра и Э. Келли. Результаты. В результате исследования устанавливается, что ключевая проблема заключается в необходимом переносе фокуса с сохранения материального объекта на сохранение концептуальной идентичности произведения. Выявлены три стратегии реинсталляции: строгое воспроизведение, адаптация к новому пространству с согласия художника и принципиальная вариабельность. Оптимальной моделью признано междисциплинарное сотрудничество реставраторов, кураторов и художников. Область применения результатов. Результаты могут быть использованы музеями, реставрационными мастерскими и архивами при разработке регламентов работы с инсталляциями и медиа-объектами, в кураторской практике, образовательных программах и адаптации международного опыта к российской музейной практике.
Ключевые слова
консервация современного искусства, реставрация, реинсталляция, сайт-специфик арт, инсталляция, нестабильные материалы, идентичность произведения, Ч. Бранди, музейное хранение, этика реставрации
Список литературы
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12. Muñoz Viñas, S. Contemporary Theory of Conservation. Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth‑Heinemann, 2005, 239 p.
13. Hummelen, I., & Sillé, D. Modern Art: Who Cares? Amsterdam: Foundation for the Conservation of Modern Art, 1999, 432 p.
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15. Wharton, G. (2018). The Challenges of Conserving Contemporary Art. Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation, (5), pp. 1–8.
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17. Scholte, T., & Wharton, G. Inside Installations: Theory and Practice in the Care of Complex Artworks. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2011, 287 p.
18. Rivenc, R. (2018). Keep It Moving? Conserving Kinetic Art. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 57(4), pp. 167–180.
19. Stringari, C. (2017). Beyond “Conventional” Restoration: The Conservation of Contemporary Art. Cuadernos de Música, Artes Visuales y Artes Escénicas, 12(2), pp. 33–48.
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References
1. Modern and Contemporary Art. Getty Conservation Institute [Electronic resource]. https://www.getty.edu/conservation-institute/collections/modern-and-contemporary-art/ (Retrieved: March 10, 2026).
2. Hozon・Shūfuku ni okeru Kontemporarī Āto: Chēzare Burandi no riron to sono “gendai-sei” [Contemporary Art in Conservation and Restoration: Cesare Brandi’s Theory and Its “Modernity”]. CiNii Research [Electronic resource]. https://cir.nii.ac.jp/crid/1390001205831314176 (Retrieved: March 10, 2026).
3. How to re‑display an installation? SP‑Arte [Electronic resource]. https://www.sp-arte.com/editorial/how-to-re-display-an-installation (Retrieved: March 10, 2026).
4. Art in eco‑fragile zones: Challenge for art installation companies. Fine Art Shippers [Electronic resource]. https://fineartshippers.com/how-do-art-installation-companies-handle-projects-in-eco-fragile-zones/ (Retrieved: March 10, 2026).
5. Conservation of Contemporary Art: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice (R. van de Vall & V. van Saaze, Eds.). Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2024, 393 pp.
6. 37 | 2024. Reanimating modernisms (I): Embracing neophilia, neophobia, and the modernists’ renaissances. OpenEdition Journals [Electronic resource]. https://journals.openedition.org/sillagescritiques/16201 (Retrieved: March 10, 2026).
7. Conservation of Contemporary Art: Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice (R. van de Vall & V. van Saaze, Eds.). Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2024, 401 pp.
8. What happens when site‑specific art outlasts its surroundings? David Nolan Gallery [Electronic resource]. https://www.davidnolangallery.com/news/148-what-happens-when-site-specific-art-outlasts-its-surroundings-zoe-lescaze-t-magazine/ (Retrieved: March 10, 2026).
9. Plastics in Modern and Contemporary Art: A Holistic Approach in Preservation. FRIS Onderzoekportaal [Electronic resource]. https://www.researchportal.be/en/project/plastics-modern-and-contemporary-art-holistic-approach-preservation (Retrieved: March 10, 2026).
10. Exploration of the method of deconstruction and reassembly as a tool of transformation. Higher School of Economics [Electronic resource]. https://www.hse.ru/en/edu/vkr/1045748857 (Retrieved: March 10, 2026).
11. Brandi, C. (1963). Theory of Restoration. Rome: Istituto Centrale per il Restauro, 148 pp.
12. Muñoz Viñas, S. (2005). Contemporary Theory of Conservation. Oxford: Elsevier Butterworth‑Heinemann, 239 pp.
13. Hummelen, I., & Sillé, D. (1999). Modern Art: Who Cares? Amsterdam: Foundation for the Conservation of Modern Art, 432 pp.
14. Laurenson, P. (2006). Authenticity, change and loss in the conservation of time‑based media installations. Tate Papers, (6). https://www.tate.org.uk/research/tate-papers/06/authenticity-change-and-loss-conservation-of-time-based-media-installations (Retrieved: March 10, 2026).
15. Wharton, G. (2018). The challenges of conserving contemporary art. Smithsonian Contributions to Museum Conservation, (5), pp. 1–8.
16. Saaze, V. van. (2013). Installation Art and the Museum: Presentation and Conservation of Changing Artworks. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 213 pp. https://doi.org/10.26530/OAPEN_449202
17. Scholte, T., & Wharton, G. (2011). Inside Installations: Theory and Practice in the Care of Complex Artworks. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 287 pp.
18. Rivenc, R. (2018). Keep it moving? Conserving kinetic art. Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, 57(4), pp. 167–180.
19. Stringari, C. (2017). Beyond “conventional” restoration: The conservation of contemporary art. Cuadernos de Música, Artes Visuales y Artes Escénicas, 12(2), pp. 33–48.
20. Chiantore, O., & Rava, A. (2012). Conserving Contemporary Art: Issues, Methods, Materials, and Research. Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute, 348 pp.