International cooperation

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Learning by doing

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Benvenuta Vera!

After having sadly but affectionately greeted Cintia, our Erasmus trainee from Tenerife, who with her Hispanic and sunny spirit made the days in the offices sparkling, we are ready to meet Vera, arriving from Moscow, and to welcome her.

Coming from an even different training curriculum, specializing in the history of art and restoration of canvases and tables, she has decided to deepen her diagnostic knowledge, an aspect that as a restorer you will have to often deal with.

Thanks to the collaboration that Art–Test has been undertaking for years with Palazzo Spinelli, the demand for internships in our laboratories from this Institute is always increasing. Regardless of the origin, however each trainee, although he or she may come from a different professional and geographical background, is offered to personally conduct the different analyzes foreseen by a diagnostic campaign -after a first but brief and concise theoretical approach.

It is certainly not immediate for an art historian and/or restorer to understand how to use diagnostics. For us artworks primarily have composite material side, and one must not be influenced by the apparent style and/or any attributions based solely on historical-artistic study.

As has already happened before, also in this case it will be a two-way exchange of notions that will be enriching for both parties over the next few months.

Let’s rock on!

Alice Fusco
art

Work in regress

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It's BREXIT, dear!

January 1 2021 marks not only the beginning of the new year, which hopefully will be better than the horrendous 2020, but also the beginning of a new era for Great Britain which, after 47 years, has left the European Union. This means that the UK is now a “third country” for the EU.
Despite the Christmas agreement between London and Brussels, it is now necessary to introduce a large number of extra obligations, such as customs declarations, special licenses, certifications, controls and conformity tests, for goods to be imported and exported from the UK.
The first problems already arose immediately after the transition period, during which for six months, Great Britain suspended the introduction of controls from the European Union – a unilateral decision that the old continent did not reciprocate.
The procedures to be followed have not  yet been clarified, as well as the prices of shipments.
What is certain, is that unlike what happened so far, the goods moving between Great Britain and the EU will undergo more accurate customs, regulatory and security controls, with longer bureaucratic procedures and obviously great delays.
This caused great problems even with the air transport of works of art. In many cases, in fact, the certification that declares the contents of the inside of a box is no longer sufficient, but these are examined and x-rayed as soon as they enter English territory, or worse still, opened by officials with no experience in handling them. This is not a small problem since in some cases the content has a great value and the damage could be irreversible.
Many gallery owners have been provident, and to avoid these inconveniences they have protected themselves by invoicing and shipping all the works to the UK before the end of the year 2020.
But there is no doubt that the current block on the circulation of goods will have a strong economic impact on the medium and long term, on transport, as well as on the economy of the art market, and I believe it is urgently necessary to find solutions soon that guarantee the correct application and interpretation of the rules, if they do not want Great Britain to move from a preferential hub to one excluded from the circuit.
While it seems that Paris is gearing up to take up former UK place.

France Has Revised Its System for Exporting Art and Antiques, Removing Red Tape that Has Long Hindered Trade

 

 

(Chiara Martine Menchetti)

 

 

Art Diagnostics: The G7 Declaration Of Florence, And Happy Easter!

Art Diagnostics: The G7 Declaration Of Florence, And Happy Easter!

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In the picture the Palmira Arch, destroyed by IS, virtually reconstructed and 3D “printed”. The artwork was exposed before Palazzo Vecchio in Florence during the G7 of Culture Meeting.

Florence hosted the first G7 of culture or the Summit of Ministers of Culture of the seven most developed countries (United States, Japan, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Canada). It is in fact the first time (the idea was proposed by Italy and by Renzi government) that in this context culture and heritage are also involved. The ministers of the seven countries signed the Florence Declaration, a “call to all States to adopt strong and effective measures to counter the looting and trafficking of cultural goods from their place of origin, especially from countries in situations of conflict or infighting, identify and prohibit trade in stolen goods that have been unlawfully taken beyond the borders“. The idea of culture as a dialogue tool and the revival of the European spirit have also been emphasized, with Europe wanting to carry on their own values, even against all separatist and fundamentalist movements.

We at Art-Test deeply believe in these values, and we hope that art and science will help beauty to save the world.

Happy Easter!