ArtWatch International is an American

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

founded by

James Beck Stanley James Carroll Beck (21 February 1929 – 6 August 1973) was an English television actor. He appeared in a number of programmes, but is best known for the role of Private Walker, a cockney spiv, in the BBC sitcom ''Dad's Army'' from th ...

, professor of

art history Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, to monitor, and campaign for better practices in, the conservation of art works. The United Kingdom branch, ArtWatch UK, is run by Michael Daley.

Activities

In 1991, Beck criticised the cleaning of

Jacopo della Quercia Jacopo della Quercia (, ; 20 October 1438), also known as Jacopo di Pietro d'Agnolo di Guarnieri, was an Italian sculptor of the Early Renaissance, a contemporary of Brunelleschi, Ghiberti and Donatello. Biography Jacopo della Quercia takes hi ...

's sculpture, the tomb of Ilaria del Carretto in

Lucca Città di Lucca ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its Province of Lucca, province has a population of 383,9 ...

cathedral in Italy. As a result, the conservator sued him for "aggravated slander", which carries a possible three-year prison sentence. Beck won the case and subsequently co-founded ArtWatch."In Memoriam", ''The Art Newspaper'', July/August 2007. ArtWatch has been critical of many conservation practices and projects, including the restoration of

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

's ''The Last Supper'' and the

restoration of the Sistine Chapel frescoes The conservation-restoration of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, frescoes of the Sistine Chapel was one of the most significant Conservation-restoration of cultural heritage, conservation-restorations of the 20th century. The Sistine Chapel was bui ...

. In 2004, it raised an unsuccessful petition to halt the restoration of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

's ''

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

'', which has since been found to be developing cracks. ArtWatch UK have included a commemorative issue on the late James Beck; a report on the damage to artworks in transit for blockbuster exhibitions; and articles critical of the results of restorations on modern painters like

Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (14 July 1862 – 6 February 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and a founding member of the Vienna Secession movement. His work helped define the Art Nouveau style in Europe. Klimt is known for his paintings, murals, sket ...

. The November 2008 ArtWatch UK journal contained 20 articles campaigning about developments in the UNESCO-protected city of

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. Beck was, and Daley is, frequently outspoken and their opinions on recent restorations have been covered regularly by the press. However, they have been equally strongly opposed by those they criticise. The Surveyor of the Fabric of

St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

, who oversaw a 2004 cleaning of the cathedral that came under fire by Daley, retorted that "ArtWatch UK sounds very grand, but seems to be the view of one person."''The Times''
/ref> The investigation of the restoration campaign had been conducted and written by art historian, Florence Hallett.{{citation needed, date=November 2008

Ludwig Burchard

In April 2006 the ArtWatch UK Journal published research into Ludwig Burchard, a scholar who had made many attributions to

Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged compositions reference erudite aspects of clas ...

. This showed that Burchard had been prepared to make false attributions for commercial gain. It again called into question the authenticity of the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

's '' Samson and Delilah''—and the integrity of the then director

Neil MacGregor Robert Neil MacGregor (born 16 June 1946) is a British art historian and former museum director. He was editor of the '' Burlington Magazine'' from 1981 to 1987, then Director of the National Gallery, London, from 1987 to 2002, Director of th ...

. The research was conducted by Dr. Kasia Pisarek.

References

External links

ArtWatch International web site

ArtWatch UK web siteGuardian article on a Leonardo at risk
Art and design organizations Conservation and restoration organizations

Activities

Ludwig Burchard

See also

References

External links