As a big museum with a lot of objects, the Dallas Museum of Art (DMA) has maintained a small conservation studio for the last 30 years, but recently it kicked up the program by several notches and, this past November, the DMA’s new Paintings Conservation Studio officially opened to the public. Now, it is showing off the first four paintings from private collections to undergo conservation treatment in the new studio and putting them on display. One of the four, The Blacksmith Cupids by Charles-Antoine Coypel, has subsequently entered the DMA’s permanent collection.
Charles-Antoine Coypel, The Blacksmith Cupids (Les Amours Forgerons), c. 1715-1720, oil on canvas, Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Campbell
Mark Leonard, chief conservator at the DMA, explains: “In many instances, these types of partnerships result in the opportunity to exhibit the works on public view for a period of time after completion of the conservation treatment, and in the case of the Coypel, add the work to the Museum’s collection. We are extremely grateful and excited by this opportunity.”
And, if the display of the paintings inspires budding conservation enthusiasts, the new studio also has an adjacent public gallery designed to teach visitors about conservation-related study and treatment.
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The Blanton Museum also has a conservation display in one of its galleries right now. This CSI: Museums approach to popularizing conservation can be interesting and fun to look at, and perhaps it’s a gateway to art beyond just looking at something hanging on the wall.