Looking After the Past: Conservation at the National Gallery, London

Looking After the Past: Conservation at the National Gallery, London

Date: 11 October 2016 (Tuesday)
Time: 6:30pm
Venue: Rayson Huang Theatre, HKU

The preservation of the National Gallery’s famous collection has been a central aspect of that institution since its foundation in 1824. Larry Keith, the Gallery’s Head of Conservation and Keeper, gives an overview of the rich history of conservation at the Gallery, and how its advances and controversies have informed the way the department works today. This talk will look at what happens behind the scene when conservators are charged with the preservation, study and restoration of some of the world’s best-loved masterpieces.

Speaker: Larry Keith

Larry Keith is the Director of Collections (interim) National Gallery, London where he has been working since 1991 – first as a paintings conservator and then as Head of Conservation in 2010. He has contributed numerous articles on painting techniques across the range of the Collection for the Gallery’s Technical Bulletin, as well as contributions to exhibition catalogues on Diego Velazquez and Leonardo da Vinci.

HKU Faculty of Arts’ Behind the Scenes Lecture Series, initiated by the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Fine Arts, aims to bring high-profile speakers from the international art world to highlight the work of professionals who help to keep art accessible for audiences now and in the future.

The 2016 Lectures are generously supported by Qatar Airways and AXA ART.