Nora van Trotsenburg

With every beautiful painting you spot in a museum, it can be easy to forget just how much hard work goes into preserving its prime condition. Artworks are unfortunately not immune to the deleterious effects of time, but the efforts of art conservators can do wonders in slowing down the inevitable wear-and-tear of light, air, insects, and human handling.

Brandon Finney is an exchange visitor from Canada currently working as an art conservation fellow at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA, where he has been able to practice these protective measures. While Brandon’s projects have ranged from conducting treatments of paintings, writing condition reports, and researching various artists, the core of his work has always focused on art conservation. To him, conservation is an essential part of the arts community; without it, classic works from history would have vanished from the canon. “Conservation’s central tenant is the preservation of cultural heritage for the current and future use of civilization,” he tells us.

“Very few people understand that most artworks are fragile objects—they have only survived because generations of hands have intervened to keep them intact. While we often see the dramatic cleaning of works as the shorthand for conservation, it only encompasses part of what we do. Modern conservation really tries to balance restoration with the long-term preservation of the artifact. This can include pest eradication, climate control, disaster prevention, and unfortunately, finding means of protecting artworks from visitors who don’t respect them."

Careful control over such sensitive works takes time and experience, however. It’s a meticulous task that requires someone with the necessary skills and patience to see it to its proper conclusion. The responsibility of protecting the smallest details in sometimes centuries-old works is not for your average hobbyist—but rather for an art professional with a thorough grasp of all aspects of art composition, whether artistic, historical, or scientific. Luckily, Brandon’s expertise and experience in those fields give him an edge.

“Art conservation is the intersection of three fields: art history, chemistry, and studio arts. You need skills and knowledge in all three areas to practice in the field. Most conservators like myself have a master’s in art conservation, with undergraduate education in all three formative fields,” Brandon says. “In addition to having a good grasp on the hand skills and knowledge needed, key skills include creative problem solving, patience, and interest for the work, willingness to objectively re-evaluate your work, and a passion for continued education."

No project of Brandon’s better demonstrates all of these necessary skills than a seventeenth-century Venetian portrait he was recently able to work on. Due to the complexity of the deterioration, restoring the painting involved multiple treatment angles and eventually “turned into an in-depth treatment and research project.”

Portrait of Francesco Bollani, before and after treatment. Chrysler Museum of Art. Italian. Anonymous. 17th century.

“The portrait had been unidentified for at least a century and had suffered major cleaning damage resulting in the loss of the sitter’s hand,” he told us. “I was able to use UV light and digital imaging to read the sitter’s name, then research his life, and finally come up with a reconstruction for his missing hand.”

Detail from Portrait of Francesco Bollani. In UV light, by which inscription can be read.

“I’ve very much enjoyed working on my first Old Master painting since moving to Norfolk. Working at the Chrysler museum has really allowed me to diversify my scope of practice. The Chrysler has an encyclopedic collection of paintings dating back to the 12th century Medieval period. In my previous training at Queen’s University, our works were often 19th and 20th century.”

Aside from all the valuable conservation and restoration work he’s had in his time at the Chrysler, Brandon’s fellowship has been nothing short of restorative for himself. “Since moving to the United States, I’ve [also] been able to visit several East Coast cities that I’ve never been to before. I’ve been able to visit museums I’ve read about for years and tour their conservation labs. I’ve really been trying to take advantage of the location.”

Through his fellowship at the Chrysler, Brandon has had an unforgettable experience that will benefit him tremendously in his future career. This exchange program has been beneficial for both the museum and himself, and the work he does will continue to benefit all parties involved. Learn more about our Cultural Exchange Programs and the other exhibition services that IA&A offers!