Rutherford John Gettens (January 17, 1900 – June 17, 1974) was a chemist and pioneering conservation scientist. Born to Daniel and Clara (Rutherford) Gettens, Rutherford John Gettens grew up in Mooers, New York, where he became valedictorian of his high school class in 1918. He received his B.S. from

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

in 1923. On graduating, he taught chemistry at Colby College, Maine, before receiving his M.A. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1929. In 1928, Gettens began working at the

Fogg Art Museum The Harvard Art Museums are part of Harvard University and comprise three museums: the Fogg Museum (established in 1895), the Busch-Reisinger Museum (established in 1903), and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum (established in 1985), and four research ...

at Harvard, and by 1949, he was chief of Museum Technical Research, and an active member in the development of the field of conservation as we know it today. In 1951, Gettens began the establishment of a 'Technical Laboratory' at the

Freer Gallery of Art The Freer Gallery of Art is an art museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. focusing on Asian art. The Freer and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery together form the National Museum of Asian Art in the United States. The Freer and Sac ...

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. The laboratory was designed to conduct technical research as well as undertake conservation treatments of museum objects. By 1961, he had been appointed head curator of the laboratory and after his retirement in 1968, he served as a research consultant until his death. Gettens was a founding member of the

International Institute for Conservation The International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC) is a global organisation for conservation and restoration professionals with over two thousand members in over fifty countries. IIC seeks to promote the knowledge, ...

of Historic and Artistic Works, which was incorporated in 1948. He was later to serve as council member and vice president, as well as president from 1968 to 1971. He was Coordinator of Working Groups for the

International Council of Museums The International Council of Museums (ICOM) is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to museums, maintaining formal relations with UNESCO and having a consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Founded in 1946, I ...

, a consulting fellow at the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University, and on the science advisory board of the

Winterthur Museum Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library is an American estate and museum in Winterthur, Delaware. Pronounced “winter-tour," Winterthur houses one of the richest collections of Americana (culture), Americana in the United States. The museum and es ...

. He also received a Fulbright lectureship in Greece, and was the inspiration behind the American Institute for Conservation Oral History Project.About Rutherford John Gettens
/ref> He wrote extensively in the conservation field. His works include ''The Freer Chinese Bronzes'' (Volume II), and, with George L. Stout the seminal, ''Painting Materials: A Short Encyclopedia''.

Bibliography

* ''Abstracts of Technical Studies in Art and Archaeology, 1943-1952'' (with Bertha M. Usilton) * ''Painting Materials: A Short Encyclopaedia'' (with George Stout) * ''Minerals in Art and Archaeology'' *
The Freer Chinese Bronzes: Volume II, Technical Studies
' * ''Study of Sources of Contamination in the Analysis of Radioactive Materials''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gettens, Rutherford John 1900 births 1974 deaths 20th-century American chemists Conservator-restorers Harvard University alumni People from Mooers, New York Middlebury College alumni Colby College faculty Scientists from New York (state) People associated with Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library