In an era when many critics speak of the rise of curation as art — when artists arrange objects as often as they make them — conservation is deeply curatorial, as conservators choose which aspects of a work are presented and how.
Specialist conservators were brought in, a painting conservation studio and woodworking centre set up, and Chinese craftsmen recruited from across the country to recreate the fabulous decor.
Some conservators used increasingly aggressive approaches to cleaning and conservation, favoring overpainting and other interventionist methods.
Conservators therefore have little idea whether to expect a graceful decline or a rapid collapse.Recently, conservators in New York have been given an opportunity to hone their skills on a real piece of modern art.
But conservators have found that, at least in this case, there is no great future in plastics, because they form a seal which traps water inside the stone, causing further damage.
Here, scientists spend much of their time analysing microscopic samples taken from paintings and trying to work out their precise composition, the better to help art historians and conservators understand the work before them.To this end, the gallery's paintings are subjected to a variety of treatments.
Art critics still argue about whether Titian's masterpiece was revealed or ruined by the conservators' efforts.
As conservators are quick to point out, artists through the ages have faced such problems.
Works that could not be saved from rot or rust are long gone: those that survive are the ones that conservators figured out how to treat.
Evidently, conservators will require a wide range of skills in the future.
The artist has made no public pronouncements, and conservators are divided.
