The Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU, will welcome Bertrand Lavédrine and Sarah Barack (’03) as the 2022–2023 Judith Praska Visiting Distinguished Professors in Conservation & Technical Studies. Dr. Lavédrine is a professor at the National Museum of Natural History, part of the Sorbonne University Alliance, and a scientist at Center for Research in Conservation in Paris. He is an internationally recognized expert in the chemistry and preservation of photographs and the author of several books and articles on historical processes. Ms. Barack is Head of Conservation and Senior Objects Conservator at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. She is highly regarded conservator of glass and ceramics, possessing special expertise in the conservation of modern design objects. Dr. Lavédrine and Ms. Barack will teach in the fall 2022 and spring 2023 semesters, respectively.
Now in its tenth year, the Judith Praska Distinguished Visiting Professorship has brought eighteen scholars to the Institute since 2012. Generously funded by an anonymous donor, the professorship recognizes preeminent conservation professionals who bring new areas of teaching and research to the Institute’s program in conservation. Dr. Lavédrine will teach a course entitled Research & Communication in Conservation & Science, while Ms. Barack will teach an upper-level course on the treatment of glass objects. Both will deliver public lectures during their tenure.
Professor Christine Poggi, Judy and Michael Steinhardt Director of the Institute of Fine Arts, noted, “These are outstanding appointments for the Institute, and it will be an honor to host Dr. Lavédrine and Ms. Barack in the coming year. We look forward to enriching our course offerings with their expertise and continuing our world-class teaching and research in fine art conservation.”
Professor Michele D. Marincola, Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of Conservation and Chair of the Conservation Center remarked, “Bertrand’s knowledge of chemistry and its applications in a range of preventive conservation contexts will fill an important role in our curriculum. His teaching experience, warm and welcoming personality, and depth of knowledge will be greatly appreciated by our community.” She added, “we are pleased to welcome Sarah back to our program, this time, as a faculty member. She is an experienced museum professional, an expert in solving challenging problems within glass and ceramics conservation, and a font of knowledge about design object technologies. We stand to gain a great deal from her time with us.”
Bertrand Lavédrine is a professor at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN) and a scientist at the Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation (CRC) https://www.crc.mnhn.fr in Paris. He holds a master’s degree in organic chemistry and a doctoral degree in Art and Archeology from the Faculty of Humanities, University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. From 2003 to 2007, he was appointed as the director of the conservation training program at the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne. He has written papers and books on the preservation of photographic collections, now available in several languages (French, English, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, and Vietnamese). Dr. Lavédrine also leads research into the characterization and degradation of plastics––he was coordinator of the European funded project “POPART” (Preservation Of Plastic Artifacts in museum collections)—and the non-destructive identification of dyes and pigments used in manuscript illumination. He has participated in various international training programs funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Getty Conservation Institute, the International Center for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM), and research projects funded by the European commission.
Sarah Barack is Head of Conservation and Senior Objects Conservator for the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. Prior to her position at the Cooper Hewitt, Ms. Barack worked for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, and ran a private practice in objects conservation. She holds an MA in Art History with a Certificate in Conservation from NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts Conservation Center (’03) and an MBA from Columbia Business School (’09). The author of numerous articles in her fields of expertise, Ms. Barack has also served as the American Institute for Conservation Objects Specialty Group Program Chair and Board Treasurer. She has been a long-time educator, creating programming for K-12 curricula as well as coordinating and lecturing in courses at the Conservation Center, including summer courses for college teachers interested in conservation, and for PhD students in art history from across the country who were expanding their knowledge of the technical study of artworks.
About the Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University
The Institute of Fine Arts is an international leader in research and graduate teaching, and is committed to global engagement and advancing the fields of art history, archaeology, and the theory and practice of conservation. New York City, with its incomparable resources and vitality, provides a backdrop and extended campus for the Institute’s activities. Founded in 1960, the Conservation Center is the oldest degree-granting graduate program in art conservation in the United States. The Conservation Center offers a four-year, dual MA/MS graduate program that combines training in conservation with historical, archaeological, curatorial, and scientific studies.
For more information, please contact Michele D. Marincola, Chair of the Conservation Center and Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor of Conservation, at [email protected] .
