The rare holdings and exhibits that the visitors of the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum witness to reflect the history of human civilization throughout the ages, is a facade behind which there is a great effort, and an endless work by the museum's employees in its various departments, including the artistic conservation center that represents a new addition to the museum, and works to restore the collections Exhibited in the museum, and providing safety conditions to preserve them at their best .. «Emirates Today» was the first Arab media outlet to enter the Center for the Preservation of Art Works for the Restoration of Collections in the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and closely follows the restoration of a rare historical piece, of which there are only 20 pieces Around the world, which is a shield of Persia and a horse, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries, and is made of steel, iron, and fabric.
The piece is from the museum's permanent collection, and it is currently displayed within the exhibition “Equestrian Art: Between East and West”, according to the head of the Unit for the Restoration of Art Holdings Workshops at the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, Maria Papemetrio, for «Emirates Today» during her tour of the center. Maria added that the center aims to preserve the collection and safety of holdings and display them to the public, and preserve them to remain and reach future generations in the best condition, noting that the Center for the Preservation of Art Works for the Restoration of Holdings at the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum, to develop a strategic plan of action, aims to ensure the protection of the museum's holdings in the long run The remote, and focuses on managing the environment surrounding the groups, and controlling them to comply with the global protection standards necessary to keep holdings at their best, and this is the primary goal of the center.
Healthy environment
"Our work does not stop directly cutting, processing, and restoring its components, but we are working to provide a healthy environment according to the highest scientific standards to preserve all the holdings in the museum of the different materials made of them," the head of the Artistic Restoration Workshops Unit continued.
She continued: «For example, we study the pieces and the surrounding atmosphere to anticipate any type of risk that could affect, in the long term, the life and safety of the piece, and we work to avoid any expected damages before they happen, so we monitor the climate inside the museum, and the lighting that it is exposed to The holdings, the level of dirt and pollution you are exposed to, and we are preparing an emergency plan to face any possible risks, crises or dangerous accidents, and we are constantly developing this plan to cover all possibilities.
The work of the center also focuses, according to Papadimetriou, on individual dealing with the holdings, and includes the development of protection plans for parts, whether for restoration or protection, and is being developed based on several factors, most notably the status of the piece and its display plans, and the research goals that the center operates according to, and priorities are set Work is based on these factors, especially since the center is still in the process of being established and the work team is selected by it, pointing out that renovation specialists from abroad are currently being invited to implement these operations, and they are identified according to the nature of the piece and its components, there are specialists in metal restoration, and others to restore and maintain various fabrics Also, there are specialists in paper, documents, leather and so on.
Priority
On the restoration of the knight’s armor and horse, the specialist in the restoration of metal parts at the French Institute for the Restoration of Artistic Collection, Ober Geraldine, stated that the restoration of the piece was a priority for the center for two reasons. The first was that it needed a quick need to restore the damaged parts to avoid further damage, and the second was its selection for display Within the exhibition "The Art of Equestrian: Between East and West", and the need to finish work on it well in advance of the opening of the exhibition.
She added that she undertook the restoration of the metal part of the piece, removing the damaged parts and replacing them with another consistent with the piece as a whole, while another team specialized in restoring fabrics, dealt with the contents of the piece.
Emirati cadres
Maria Papadimitriou indicated that the restoration of the Louvre Abu Dhabi museum holdings was previously taking place in Paris, but with the establishment of the center it was completed, and the knight and horse armor piece was the second to be restored in the center, as it had previously witnessed the restoration of a rare carpet.
She noted that the center currently attracts and trains Emirati youth from both sexes to become part of the work team in it, and «we already have Emirati trainees in the restoration team, who receive their training for six months, to learn about the workflow in it, and the museum in general and its various departments, to become in The near future is on the job team in place. ”
Maria Papademetriou:
- "We are working to provide a healthy environment in accordance with the highest scientific standards to preserve the holdings."
- The Artworks Conservation Center is a new addition, as it restores the displayed holdings.