ADFAS Lecture: “Conserving Beauty: Technical Insights…”

Conserving Beauty: Technical Insights of Australian Impressionist Paintings – Michael Varcoe-Cocks (Australia – NGV, Melbourne)

Technical art history is the examination of artworks using scientific equipment to reveal layers of information that offers unique insights into the artistic methods and materials found in each work. This evidence-based approach has yielded some of the most remarkable stories in Australian art. This lecture will discuss the examination and conservation of iconic works from the Australian Impressionist movement by Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and Frederick McCubbin.

Michael Varcoe-Cocks is the Associate Director of Conservation at the National Gallery of Victoria where he has worked for twenty-five years. His Conservation practice has principally focused on collection-based research and the accompanying treatment of works produced between 1850 and 1950.