All art conservation articles

Research

Invisible graphene veil protects paintings from fading

2021-07-14T10:14:00Z

Thin layers of graphene could prevent up to 70% of light-induced colour fading

Research

Porous hydrogel cleans dirt and grime from Jackson Pollock masterpieces

2020-03-18T09:30:00Z

Twin-chain polymer gel can safely removes grime from contemporary artworks

Podcast

Lazurite

2019-02-15T12:09:00Z

A brilliant rich blue rock, prized in antiquity as a gemstone and a prominent pigment, lazurite is the basis of lapis lazuli, the original ultramarine paint and – as Brian Clegg finds – it even adorns Tutankhamun's death mask

Research

Sniffing out museums' decaying plastic artefacts

2018-02-13T13:31:00Z

Analysing volatile compounds may help museums protect old celluloid film and other polymer heritage items

News

The great beauty of chemistry

2017-05-18T08:26:00Z

Heritage science is growing fast and Rocco Mazzeo wants more chemists to chip in

Feature

Raiders of the lost pigments

2017-05-08T11:29:00Z

The old sculptures in museums have lost their original colour, but chemistry can help us discover how they used to look

Research

X-ray fluorescence reveals van Eyck’s original colours

2017-04-03T10:46:00Z

Elemental imaging shows alterations to famous Ghent Altarpiece by the van Eyck brothers

Feature

Conservative innovations

2014-06-23T00:00:00Z

Rachel Brazil finds out how chemists can restore art to its former glory