The Conservator as Performance Artist

According to Claire Voon posting in Hyperallergic on August 19th, for a five month period beginning on August 20, 2016 the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston will allow visitors to see the conservation process in action as experts from the Museum’s Asian Conservation Studio and the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art will work on an ancient Japanese hanging scroll, “The Death of the Historical Buddha” by Hanabusa Itchō (1713) in the MFA’s Asian Paintings gallery. Accompanied by other hanging scrolls and woodblock prints from the 19th and early 20th centuries that portray scenes executed in the same memorial portrait tradition, the conservation work is part of an exhibit, “Conservation in Action: Preserving Nirvana”. Jacki Elgar, Head of Asian Conservation at the MFA is quoted as saying that, “It’s an exhibition, but it’s a changing exhibition. Every week will be different because we’ll be progressing in the treatment. To me, it’s more like a performance piece.” The conservator as performance artist! Imagine if this show brings these conservators the renown that Marina Abramović got for her two month performance piece, “The Artist is Present”.