In recent decades there has been an increasing focus in all areas of conservation on an interdisciplinary approach. This has been especially true for wall paintings, where indeed a number of special factors make it essential: their physical and aesthetic unity with the architecture; their particular vulnerability, in that they constitute an extremely thin layer which is itself the interface between the support and the environment; the limitations on controlling potential agents of deterioration; and the scale and expense not only of intervention, but also of study and monitoring.

The symposium was planned to reflect this and was organized as part of the postgraduate Course in the Conservation of Wall Painting established in 1985 as a joint venture of the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Getty Conservation Institute.

The curriculum of the training program is based on the philosophy shared by the two sponsoring institutions that conservation should be interdisciplinary and involve minimal intervention, requiring that causes of deterioration are adequately understood and monitored. There is, therefore, a consequent emphasis on these aspects both in the training and in the contributions to the symposium.

The organizers invited papers that would represent major programs of wall painting conservation—such as the Tomb of Nefertari, the Brancacci Chapel, and the Sistine Chapel—and would address the issues of diagnosis, documentation, and monitoring, which often tend to be overshadowed by treatment results.

Thus the symposium was divided into three general categories: Planning and Diagnosis, Treatment, and Monitoring. Four papers were presented on each of the three days, leaving a considerable amount of time for discussion led by invited specialists—architects, art historians, conservators, and conservation scientists. ...

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Proceedings of a symposium organized by the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Getty Conservation Institute,
London, July 13-16, 1987
Sharon Cather, Editor
Getty Conservation Institute

FORWARD
The Getty Conservation Institute has devoted particular attention to the problems of wall paintings conservation. Collectively, wall paintings form a record of artistic, cultural, and intellectual developments of historical significance.

The wall paintings of the tomb of Nefertari, in Egypt, have been the subject of an on-going effort for the past six years that is coming soon to a close. Projects in Dunhuang and Yungang, in China, are just now underway to systematically study the causes of deterioration in the sites and to investigate strategies for their long-term protection.

The Courtauld Institute of Art and the Getty Conservation Institute have been collaborating for six years in a wall painting conservation course, a unique three-year postgraduate-level training program.

To facilitate an international dialogue and exchange of information among conservators, scientists, and historians involved in major wall paintings conservation projects, the GCI and the Courtauld Institute of Art organized a symposium on the subject in London in 1987. This symposium was part of the GCI's ongoing efforts to promote a multidisciplinary approach to conservation, to examine issues related to conserving cultural property in situ, and to provide specialized training in conservation. By publishing the symposium's edited papers, we hope to provide a current report on significant projects and developments underway in the field of wall paintings conservation.

Miguel Angel Corzo
Director
Getty Conservation Institute

THE GETTY CONSERVATION INSTITUTE
The Getty Conservation Institute, an operating organization of the J. Paul Getty Trust, was created in 1982 to address the conservation needs of our cultural heritage.

The Institute conducts world-wide, interdisciplinary, professional programs in scientific research, training, and documentation. This is accomplished through a combination of in-house projects and collaborative ventures with other organizations in the USA and abroad. Special activities such as field projects, international conferences, and publications strengthen the role of the Institute.

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