Conserving Culture
Karl Buchberg talks about art conservation at the Museum of Modern Art
Scholastic Art: What is your job?
Karl Buchberg: I am a senior conservator at the Museum of Modern Art, and my specialty is paper conservation. Art conservation is the care of works of art, from hands-on treatment to climate control and exhibition parameters.
SA: What is your working process?
KB: There are many different processes. I always start by examining the artwork in the laboratory. First, I look at it very generally: How big it is? Who is the artist? What is the medium? Then I examine it carefully under the microscope to see if there are issues with the work so I can decide whether and how to treat it. Sometimes I might do a surface cleaning, taking dust and grime off the surface. In other cases the treatment might be more involved.
Conservator Karl Buchberg carefully removes burlap from one of Matisse’s cut-outs.
SA: What are some of the challenges you’ve encountered as a conservator?
KB: You need great patience. And you need a physical fortitude to work on a piece for hours at a time. That can be difficult.
SA: Do you have advice for students who want to be art conservators?
KB: You need the proper education. You need a background in art history, you need a background in science, and you need to have technical skill with your hands to do the treatments.
SA: What is surprising about your job?
KB: I like art so of course I go to other museums. But when I’m at work, I get to see the art up close, without other people, without the mat or the frame. I get to see it like I’m a part of it. It’s not so much a spectator sport as a participatory sport.
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