Preventive Conservation of Contemporary Art (COPAC): a new Italian research project

The Preventive Conservation of Contemporary Art (COPAC) Project is a biennial research project financially supported by the Regione Toscana (Tuscany) within the framework of the Regional Call PAR-FAS 2007-2013. The goal of the Project, with the advice of private consultants, is to create a link between public academic and research institutions and some of the preeminent national contemporary art museums and art collection in Tuscany. The focus of the COPAC Project is the study of contemporary artworks and of the materials used in their production. The initial selection of works of art to be investigated included: the mural Tuttomondo (1989) by Keith Haring, Die Größe Fracht (2007) by Anselm Kiefer, and La bandiera italiana (1955-60) by Fernando Melani. COPAC also aims to transfer to contemporary art museums and galleries in Tuscany an interactive data processing system and diagnostic methodologies. The latter will be based on the chemical, physical and structural research techniques developed during the course of the project. In this paper the preliminary results of the Project are presented and discussed