MNA Restores

When a cultural asset has lost some of the value it once held and represented, it’s time to call the Restoration Department. Alterations or deterioration may be due to the natural processes that accompany the passage of time, the effect of external agents such as light, pollution or the surrounding environment, or even to accidents or negligence.

One of the tasks performed by the Conservation-Restoration Department is direct intervention on the artefacts in order to guarantee their physical integrity and ensure their preservation over time.

In addition to the direct interventions on the cultural assets held by the Museum, the Department also carries out other notable preventive conservation tasks in order to guarantee a balance between the artefacts’ preservation and the enjoyment by museum visitors. These tasks involve controlling environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity, pollution), light incidence, pests and more. They include the regular inspection and cleaning of the storage rooms and the permanent exhibition. The Conservation Department also designs supports to give greater stability to the pieces, as well as managing their handling and temporary exhibitions. Conservation status reports are drawn up, ‘couriers' are sent to accompany our pieces on loan to other institutions and plans are developed for the safeguarding and security of the collections in the event of emergencies.

For this reason, we will be presenting some of the interventions carried out by the Department to help spread the word about the important work carried out in the conservation-restoration departments of museums.