ArtWatch International is an American
nonprofit organization founded by
James Beck, professor of
art history at
Columbia University, to monitor, and campaign for better practices in, the conservation of art works. The United Kingdom branch, ArtWatch UK, is run by Michael Daley.
Activities
In 1991, Beck criticised the cleaning of
Jacopo della Quercia's sculpture, the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto in
Lucca cathedral in Italy. As a result, the conservator sued him for "aggravated slander", which carries a possible three-year prison sentence. Beck won the case and subsequently co-founded ArtWatch.
["In Memoriam", ''The Art Newspaper'', July/August 2007.]
ArtWatch has been critical of many conservation practices and projects, including the restoration of
Leonardo da Vinci's
''The Last Supper'' and the
restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes. In 2004, it raised an unsuccessful petition to halt the restoration of
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (; 6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), known as Michelangelo (), was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was insp ...
's ''
David'', which has since been found to be developing cracks.
ArtWatch UK have included a commemorative issue on the late James Beck; a report on the damage to artworks in transit for blockbuster exhibitions; and articles critical of the results of restorations on modern painters like
Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's prim ...
. The November 2008 ArtWatch UK journal contained 20 articles campaigning about developments in the UNESCO-protected city of
Saint Petersburg.
Beck was, and Daley is, frequently outspoken and their opinions on recent restorations have been covered regularly by the press. However, they have been equally strongly opposed by those they criticise. The Surveyor of the Fabric of
St. Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Gr ...
, who oversaw a 2004 cleaning of the cathedral that came under fire by Daley, retorted that "ArtWatch UK sounds very grand, but seems to be the view of one person."
''The Times''
/ref> The investigation of the restoration campaign had been conducted and written by art historian, Florence Hallett.{{citation needed, date=November 2008
Ludwig Burchard
In April 2006 the ArtWatch UK Journal published research into Ludwig Burchard, a scholar who had made many attributions to Rubens
Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...
. This showed that Burchard had been prepared to make false attributions for commercial gain. It again called into question the authenticity of the National Gallery's '' Samson and Delilah''—and the integrity of the then director Neil MacGregor
Robert Neil MacGregor (born 16 June 1946) is a British art historian and former museum director. He was editor of the ''The Burlington Magazine, Burlington Magazine'' from 1981 to 1987, then Director of the National Gallery, London, from 1987 ...
. The research was conducted by Dr. Kasia Pisarek
Kasia Pisarek (born Katarzyna Krzyżagórska) is an art expert in London, specializing in Old Masters.
Education
Katarzyna Krzyżagórska was born in Warsaw, Poland. She holds several academic degrees. She was educated at the Sorbonne, Paris, a ...
.
See also
* Art conservation and restoration
* Frank Herbert Mason Artwatch activist and artist
References
External links
ArtWatch International web site
ArtWatch UK web siteGuardian article on a Leonardo at risk
Art and design organizations
Conservation and restoration organizations