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Two conservators in their lab staining wood paneling for the British Galleries

Objects Conservation

About Us

The Department of Objects Conservation is responsible for the physical care and technical study of three-dimensional works of art. Its activities engage the entire span of the Museum’s collections, encompassing objects of artistic and cultural significance from all over the world dating from the seventh millennium BCE to the present day. Working with all of the Museum’s seventeen curatorial departments, four other conservation departments, and conservation scientists, the department’s thirty-five conservators, conservation preparators, and administrators play a role in all aspects of The Met’s core activities and collaborate with cultural heritage professionals worldwide.

Read more about Object Conservation at The Met.

Our History

Since its founding in 1870, the Museum has dedicated substantial resources to the preservation and technical study of its collections. Built upon the efforts of a diverse assemblage of craftspeople, restorers, scientists, security guards, directors, and curators working in isolated workshops, laboratories, and offices, the discipline of conservation gradually attained professional stature at the Museum, culminating in 1942 in the creation of a Sub-Department of Conservation and Technical Research. Currently, more than twenty academically trained conservation professionals, specializing in three-dimensional works of all kinds, are situated in dedicated studios and laboratories, collaborating closely with curators, scientists, conservation preparators, registrars, collections and facilities managers, and other museum specialists.

Read more about the history of conservation practice at the Museum in Caring for the Met: One Hundred Fifty Years of Conservation.

Research

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A variety of plaster mock-ups, including a cat, human torsos, and an elephant, sprayed with various recipes of I.K.B., a deep shade of blue.
Preserving the Immaterial: Ethical and Technical Considerations in Treating an Yves Klein Blue Venus Sculpture
Work conducted during a year-long fellowship investigates the production and treatment of one of the French artist’s sculptures painted with his iconic pigment formulation.
In-gallery view of a large, faded mural of the Buddha.
In-Gallery Conservation: The Buddha of Medicine
Conservators are undertaking a two-year project to reverse discoloration and correct infill on this 14th century Buddha of Medicine from a monastery in northern China.
Gallery view of colorful stained glass windows, two vitrines with gold figures and a central, large-scale stone sculpture.
In-Gallery Conservation: The Biron Sculptures
Conservators have embarked on a multiyear study and treatment of two large, 16th-century sculptural groups from the chapel of the castle of Biron in Dordogne, France.

Opportunities

Articles, Audio, and Video

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Featured

Marble sculpture of a standing nude male figure holding an apple, shown against a dark background.
Conserving Tullio Lombardo's "Adam"
Conservators, scientists, and curators tell the story behind the unprecedented conservation of Tullio Lombardo's Adam.

The Latest

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