Restoration breathes new life into artifacts in Taiwan

2020/08/17

At a time when much of the world remains driven by the relentless drum of modernization, there remains a small but crucial profession charged with cherishing and revitalizing cultural heritage: art conservators. These individuals lie at the heart of institutions such as galleries and museums, with many relying on in-house teams. Taiwan is no exception.
 
 According to 53-year-old Hung Sun-hsin, who has repaired and restored hundreds of pieces of calligraphy and paintings for nearly two decades at Taipei City-based National Palace Museum, it takes 10 years of training to become a professional conservator, as the job requires sophisticated technical skills and knowledge in art, science and technology.”

One needs to understand the properties of different materials and techniques used by artists and study the causes of deterioration to come up with the best restoration methods,” he said.
 
 While restoring artworks, conservators must document treatments with photographs and written notes. These records are essential for helping future conservators continue preservation efforts while remaining faithful to the creator’s original intentions, Hung added.
 
 Established in 1965, NPM is home to the world’s largest collection of Chinese imperial art spanning 7,000 years from the prehistoric Neolithic period to the end of the Qing dynasty. The institution opened a second branch in southern Taiwan’s Chiayi County in December 2015 showcasing artifacts from diverse Asian civilizations.”

Since commencing operations in 2005, the Conservation Center at Cheng Shiu University in southern Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City has undergone vast expansion to capitalize on the growing need for restoration work. With branch offices in Taipei, Hong Kong and Singapore serving prominent clients including British auction house Christie’s, the center is now the largest of its kind in Asia.
 
 Believing technological innovations are central to the evolution of art restoration, the center’s director Li I-cheng and his team strive to develop new tools and materials in cooperation with the university’s engineering departments, with a number of the center’s inventions having been granted patents and won top awards in international competitions.
 
 CSU recently established the Institute of Creative Cultural Design and Art Preservation Techniques, which began offering master’s courses in art conservation and restoration on 2019, while other tertiary institutions are also busy cultivating aspiring conservators to join the dedicated teams of experts at NPM, CSU and similar organizations.
 
 One of the most comprehensive training programs is run by the Graduate Institute of Conservation of Cultural Relics and Museology, set up in 1999 at Tainan National University of the Arts in the southern city. Its three-year master’s program boasts an in-depth study plan comprised of lectures, workshops, field trips and internships.

The institute’s core curriculum encompasses a broad range of subjects, including chemistry, biodeterioration management, materials science and microscopic analysis, as well as specialty courses in the traditional techniques of book binding, gilding, mounting, painting, printmaking and woodcarving.
 
Coursework is supplemented by a mandatory semesterlong internship at domestic and foreign institutions. Options include NPM, Germanisches National Museum in Germany, Metropolitan Museum of Art in the U.S. and Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands.
 
 Like Hung at NPM, graduates of conservation programs will be entrusted with the rare opportunity of working directly with human history over the course of their careers. “Not many people get to see original artworks of such aesthetic and historical value up close,” the conservator said. “I feel blessed to be granted this special privilege.”

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)