Art & Law: Identity and Conservation of Contemporary Artworks: duties and responsibility

About

The works of Joseph Beuys, made with the use of organic material, degrade in time; Pier Paolo Calzolari instead uses stabilized natural materials. The works of Anselm and Wolfgang Laib require daily maintenance; the complex installations by Dieter Roth can only be reactivated by his son to whom he hands the work with instructions to install it.
Works of this type open up important questions. Which and how many variations can a work of art bear while still being the same? What are the margins of the owner's intervention in terms of exhibition and conservation of the work? What role does the restorer play today?

Contemporary works of art imply a number of challenges both on the side of philosophy, for problems that concern their identity, and on the legal side, as regards their protection.

There are many contemporary materials, in addition to the more traditional ones: lights, smells, sounds, food, consumables and waste, to name just a few. All of them ask important questions in terms of preventive conservation and restoration.

The summer school will examine the theoretical and practical issues raised by the contemporary arts in the context of law, philosophy and restoration.

Course leader

Scientific Committee Sara Abram: Centro Conservazione e Restauro “La Venaria Reale” Gianmaria Ajani: Università degli Studi di Torino Tiziana Andina: Università degli Studi di Torino Oscar Chiantore: Università degli Studi di Torino Alessandra Dona

Target group

Conservators, curators, restorers, gallery owners, professionals and staff working in institutions and museums of contemporary art. Doctoral researchers in the legal, philosophical, historical and artistic fields.

Course aim

The examination of theoretical issues will take place by exploring the many case studies produced by the arts, and will unfold in dialogue with the artists and the industry. The theoretical work also provides a basis for the consideration of the structural characteristics and dynamics that characterize the contemporary art world.

Fee info