A recent incident at the Met reminds us that in an imperfect world, people make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes cause things (sometimes priceless things) to break. Luckily, rips in paintings are a relatively easy fix.
Not so much with sculpture.
Conservation technologies are constantly emerging and improving, as this article in today's New York Times demonstrates. Unfortunately, there is no way to restore an object to its original, pristine condition and attempts to do so are long, agonizing, emotional, and expensive. Only a small number of people have the expertise, training, and talent to tackle such an endeavor. Lucky for museums that these kinds of situations are rare.
Not so much with sculpture.
Conservation technologies are constantly emerging and improving, as this article in today's New York Times demonstrates. Unfortunately, there is no way to restore an object to its original, pristine condition and attempts to do so are long, agonizing, emotional, and expensive. Only a small number of people have the expertise, training, and talent to tackle such an endeavor. Lucky for museums that these kinds of situations are rare.
I saw that article on the morning news,...how horrible that woman must have felt! I think it would be very interesting to know how repairs like that are made!
Growing up even your home can sometimes feel like a museum full of priceless artifacts, and your mom is the security guard giving you a stern look to back off. In an effort to be extra careful, people tend to crack up pressure. But your house isn't a museum, and I think people should still be on their best behavior.