PREservation of PAintings in a Sustainable Future (PREPARE)
NWO-NICAS Grant | Project leader: Dr. Joen Hermans | 2024-. Like all of us, museums are faced with the need to reduce energy consumption. Widening indoor climate tolerances would have a big impact, but scientific support to do so safely is currently lacking. The PREPARE project addresses this urgent issue by studying oil paintings in Dutch historic interiors with little climate-control, and by designing model systems that are very sensitive to climate fluctuations.
This combined approach allows finding the root cause of climate-induced mechanical failure in paintings. Moreover, the project will yield low-tech monitoring protocols for chemical early-warning sign detection and a risk classification of paint materials and climate conditions.