17 The Constructivists rejected traditional sculptural principles ofĬolor and line and instead asserted that “pace and time are the only forms Gabo and his brother Antoine Pevsner were part of the Constructivist movement born from the Realistic Manifesto they published in 1920 10 Thus, Roth’s artistic philosophy of material degradation is an integral part of how museums interpret and display his works. He believed that works should have a life of their own - livingĪnd dying just as we do. Through mold or insects or other organic process, allowing things to continue Work in 2003, “ most important collaborator was really time – be it Under a vitrine, even though MoMA is aware that the artist may have disagreed with this presentation of his work, because it impedes the decay of theĪccording to Garry Garrels, who organized retrospectives of Roth’s That decay is an important part of his chocolate works, meaning that Roth did not intend for them to last forever. Says about Roth, “all of his works are wired to self-destruct.” 6 (a thin, whitish layer of fat), and been host to tiny insects, as evidenced by the To MoMA’s website, “over time, the chocolate has cracked, developed a bloom Painted onto a square steel plate with edge lengths of 31.5 inches. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) that consists of a layer of chocolate 1), for example, is a contemporary “painting” housed at 3Ĭonservators with the challenge of deciding the level of preservation that isĪppropriate when the artist intended the work to deteriorate. His inventive work across multiple types of media, including books, prints,Īnd nontraditional materials such as food. Their role as caretakers of cultural heritage.ĭieter Roth was a Swiss artist born in 1930, and was known for Will examine how artistic intent can be used as a guiding principle for museum professionals in their ethical decision-making process, in order to uphold Using Basel on the Rhine, 1969 by Dieter Roth and Construction in Space: TwoĬones, 1927 by Naum Gabo as case studies for physical ephemeral works, I It has therefore been theĭuty of museum professionals to preserve our cultural heritage, but without aĬlear understanding of an artist’s intentions, this can become a daunting task. Like the Leonardo, contemporary works testify to their epoque, offering a glimpse into its culture and values. Conservators have gone to extreme lengths to attempt to preserve the Last Supper despite its decay because of its importance to our sharedĬultural heritage.

Last Supper (148, Santa Maria delle Grazi) which is in a state of decline due to Set to preserve unintentionally ephemeral art like Leonardo DaVinci’s own In situations that call for repair, and whether replacing parts of existing works These decisions touch on controversies over which materials to use Museum professionals, therefore, must make difficult decisions regarding whether, or how and when, to maintain a work that is in materialĭecline.

Ephemeral art