From Restorer to Conservator
The 50-year history of the department is not just a list of completed works. It is much broader than that, including people, work methods and circumstances that have shaped both time and flexibility. Every decision made, method used and solution created has been part of the process that determines the value and durability of a work of art.
Alar Nurkse, Conservator of Paintings, Art Museum of Estonia
The Conservation Department of the Art Museum of Estonia is celebrating its 50th anniversary with an exhibition in three different locations: the Niguliste Museum, the Adamson-Eric Museum and the Kadriorg Art Museum. Carefully selected works displayed or marked in the permanent expositions introduce the fascinating profession of the conservator and present conservators diverse work through five decades. The exhibition and the accompanying book are an homage to colleagues and teachers, whose pioneering work has safeguarded the consistent preservation of the collections of the Art Museum of Estonia. They also invite art connoisseurs to acquaint themselves with the nuances and beauty of the somewhat mysterious work of a conservator.
Conservation of art of the past and the present
The exhibition at the Niguliste Museum focuses on the conservation of art of the past and the present, highlighting cross-era challenges and solutions. In the main hall, the exhibition reveals the long and often contested restoration history of some of Estonia’s most emblematic medieval works of art, a story of care and intervention that began in the early modern period and continues to the present day. Over the centuries, these works have undergone cleaning, repair and overpainting, reflecting changing understandings of the value and vulnerability of artworks. Object histories and timelines bring past interventions, debates and alterations to light, tracing the journey from restorer to conservator. Every work displayed here has passed through someone’s hands, at times a restorer’s, at times a conservator’s, and sometimes simply those of a caretaker. In this way, the exhibition reflects evolving ideas of responsibility for the preservation of artworks and their historical integrity.
On the third floor of the Niguliste tower, a separate exhibition explores the conservation of contemporary art, bringing into focus modern works of art and the specific challenges of their preservation. The diverse materials and concepts of contemporary art, from traditional techniques to video installations, immersive spatial works, kinetic mechanisms and ephemeral solutions, pose unique challenges for conservators. The selected works offer insight into how thoughtful and responsible preservation helps maintain the identity of artworks, and the integrity of their materials and ideas.
The exhibition features artworks by the artists Villu Jõgeva, Edith Karlson, Jass Kaselaan, Kaarel Kurismaa, Anna Mari Liivrand, Mark Raidpere, Sigrid Viir and Kristina Õllek.
Gallery
The exhibition From Restorer to Conservator highlights the shift in both methods and mindset. While in earlier centuries “restoring” an artwork often meant overpainting or visually “renewing” it, the modern conservator’s task is to preserve, understand and respect the artwork’s unique history, its layers and its fragility.
Exhibition title
The title of the exhibition – From Restorer to Conservator – refers to a significant change in the mindset and practice of specialists: striving for the restoration of an object to its appearance in the past versus regarding the authenticity of the material and the historical layers as being equally valuable. Having a research-based approach to the conservation of an object is just as important as having manual skills: it provides the guarantee that the intervention is well informed and justified.
Conservation: the goal is to preserve the current condition and prevent further degradation. The appearance of a work is altered only minimally.
Restoration: the goal is to restore a work to, or close to, its initial condition.
What matters for researchers in the context of art museums is the authentic appearance of a work of art and the visual language of the artist. Therefore, it may happen that layers that have been added later and that overshadow the original are removed, i.e. it may not suffice in such cases to merely conserve the work as is.
The umbrella term mainly used on an international level is “conservation”.
Team
Curators: Hedi Kard, Merike Kurisoo, Kaisa-Piia Pedajas, Tarmo Saaret, Isabel Aaso-Zahradnikova
Graphic design: Inga Heamägi
Public programmes: Annika Teras
Educational programmes: Keidi Kaitsa-Pihlamägi
Installation manager: Villu Plink
Exhibition on the Conservation of Contemporary Art on the Third Floor of the Niguliste tower:
Curator: Kaisa-Piia Pedajas
Exhibition design: Isabel Aaso-Zahradnikova
Graphic design: Inga Heamägi
Exhibition team: Isabel Aaso-Zahradnikova, Richard Adang, Karmen Grünberg, Ingvar Toomas Heamägi, Ivar-Kristjan Hein, Juta Kivimäe, Klaire Kolmann, Aleksander Meresaar, Grete Nilp, Alar Nurkse, Grete Ots, Kristina Papstel, Viia-Kadi Raudalainen, Brigita Reinert, Polina Richter, Laura Tahk, Allan Talu
We thank all former and future colleagues!
