Our exhibition Saints, Sinners, Lovers, and Fools at the Denver Art Museum is getting closer! However, preparations for such a large-scale project involve a lot of work. Our colleague Laura Geudens is happy to take you behind the scenes.

“As I have a conservation and restoration background, I support my colleagues in reviewing the condition reports for this exhibition. Before an artwork leaves for an exhibition, it is subjected to an extensive condition check. Based on that, I examine whether the condition of the work corresponds to the expectations. For me, it was particularly interesting to examine and document the collection of silver objects. These pieces are travelling for the first time and thus received a completely new condition report.”

“An example of this is A Silver Relief with the Temptation of Christ, a silver plaque forged by Arent van Bolten (1573-1633). Damage views were drawn up of the piece, which are images showing with a colour code the main damages and points of interest. Based on these images and for the exhibition’s purpose, the specific needs of the objects are determined. For this piece, it was decided to apply a felt layer to the contact points between the support and this object, allowing the piece to be displayed vertically safely.”