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Symposium: East Asian Paintings Conservation in the 21st Century—Part 1 of 2

Watch part one of the Department of Asian Art's day-long symposium with speakers from Japan, China, Great Britain, and the U.S.

On June 1, 2019, the Department of Asian Art hosted a day-long symposium with speakers from Japan, China, Great Britain and the U.S. as well as a workshop that addressed issues of training and education.

Over 120 professionals and students attended the symposium, which introduced recent trends in training practices in Japan, issues of historical mountings in Korean paintings, challenges of conserving modern and contemporary art in China, art historical findings gleaned from conservation and scientific analysis of an important early Buddhist painting in Japan, and recent advances in the study of Edo and Meiji period colorants in Japanese paintings and prints.

The workshop, attended by conservation specialists from more than two dozen institutions, resulted in a new initiative to create an online forum for conservators to stay connected and share ideas. One of an ongoing series of East Asian paintings conservation workshops held in past years at the MFA Boston and the Cleveland Museum of Art, this year’s gathering—the largest to date—was planned and implemented by Jennifer Perry, the James and Mary Wallach Conservator for Japanese Painting at The Met and organized with the assistance of Tegan Miller, Assistant Manager of Friends Group. It was funded by the Department of Asian Art and by a generous contribution from John C. Weber.

Presentations and Speakers

  • How to Replace the Endangered Apprenticeship: Training and Education in Japanese Conservation and Mounting, Keisuke Sugiyama, Associate Professor, Tohoku University of Art and Design

  • Rediscovering Joseon Korean Paintings: Recent Findings and their Effects on Conservation Practices, Meejung Kim-Marandet, Amorepacific Conservator for Korean Paintings, The British Museum

  • Chinese Painting Conservation in the Museum Setting, Pedagogy, and Practice, Pengzhu Lou, Director of Cultural Relic Conservation, Beijing Bocheng Cultural Heritage Protection Center Co. Ltd.

This is part one of a two-part symposium. Watch the second session.


This symposium is made possible in part by John C. Weber.


Contributors

Keisuke Sugiyama
Associate Professor, Tohoku University of Art and Design
Pengzhu Lou
Pengzhu Lou, Director of Cultural Relic Conservation, Beijing Bocheng Cultural Heritage Protection Center Co. Ltd.
Meejung Kim-Marandet
Amorepacific Conservator for Korean Paintings, The British Museum

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