The history of the
Conservation Department of the State Russian Museum parallels the growth of the museum
itself. From its founding in 1898 by Tsar Nicholas II, the museum collection has received
meticulous attention from generations of dedicated curators.
From 1906 to 1910 an increased need for conservation dictated a more
formalized approach. Restoration-Artist A. Y. Boravisky developed a plan for founding a
restoration workshop that would be an integral museum function. Unfortunately a lack of
funds prevented his plan from be implemented at that time.
After the October revolution of 1917 art and objects from private
collections, religious art and artifacts from churches and monasteries all over Russia
started flowing into the halls of state museums. Existing
collections were substantially enlarged and whole new departments were established to cope
with this influx. Concurrently, the need for restoration and conservation was given
renewed attention and a formal conservation workshop was established by a government
artistic council decree of 1922. This first workshop was headed by N.A. Okolvich, a museum
enthusiast and experienced restoration artist. The workshop began to develop methods and
standards of restoration and conservation to deal with this vastly expanded collection.
Their pioneering work laid a strong foundation for what was to become one of the worlds
greatest restoration and conservation efforts during and after World War II.
The Second World War was an especially difficult time for the museums
in St. Petersburg (then called Leningrad), indeed all of Russia. The evacuation of
hundreds of thousands of priceless exhibits was only the start of the problem. The
restorers and all other museum workers were occupied day and night with packing and
transporting exhibits to the city of Perm-far from the battlefront. Other museum workers
remained behind in the beleaguered city and looked after the beautiful neoclassical palace
and exhibits that were too large or fragile to move.
The war caused incalculable damage to Russian palaces, museums and collections. Even
before victory was won, plans were developed for post-war restoration and conservation of
Leningrad's vast artistic heritage. The tasks facing the entire city were immense.
Stabilization of bomb-damaged buildings, conservation, and rebuilding of the 'Venice of
the North' began at once. Collections were returned from their wartime hiding places and
the State Russian Museum's Conservation Department was faced with the almost insuperable
task of rebuilding and preparing exhibits for display.
The
1950's were a time of broadening the scope of the museum's acquisitions. While fine
arts remained the core of the collection, applied arts became an additional emphasis. This
meant that the Conservation Department had to acquire new sets of skills and disciplines.
As a result, specialized divisions, or laboratories, were established. A laboratory
specializing in Old Russian Art was established in 1954. In the 1960's individual
laboratories were established for the conservation of decorative carving and furniture,
fabrics, drawings, wooden sculpture, plaster and stone sculpture. In 1970 an applied arts
(ceramics, glass and metals) conservation laboratory was founded. In 1981 a laboratory
devoted to picture-frame conservation was started. By 1990 a department specializing in
conservation of exhibits made of mixed media was instituted. During this same period
physical and chemical analytical laboratories were built and staffed. These laboratories
were critical for building a thorough scientific basis for conservation techniques.
Today, the Conservation Department of the State Russian Museum has 13
conservation laboratories. The most recent addition (1995) has been a Conservation Theory
Laboratory in which the theory of conservation, conservation ethics, and the history of
conservation are studied.
The State Russian Museum Conservation Department emphasizes a
scientific approach to restoration. This includes utilizing all the disciplines of art
history, restoration technique and technology, minimally invasive restoration methods,
restoration documentation, process control, as well as ongoing dialogues with
international conservation organizations.
We are proud of our contributions to the preservation of some of the
finest art and artifacts in the world.
