Conservation and Science

In 2025, the Conservation and Science team treated 1,116 artworks, care that ranged from light cleaning to multi-year restorations. For this monumental 19th-century punch bowl, objects conservator Haddon Dine spent two years removing discolored restorations, reassembling old breaks, and filling major losses, readying the work to debut in the new Eloise W. Martin Galleries of Applied Arts of Europe.

Conservators and scientists regularly contribute articles to peer-reviewed journals and essays to exhibition and collection catalogues. Recently new findings about the materials used by ancient Egyptian artists were published in the new, freely accessible digital catalogue about the Art Institute’s collection of ancient Egyptian art—the museum's first diving into this important collection.

Research is continually underway—whether it winds up in a published article, is passed on to an institution where we’re loaning our work, or added to an object file to help us care for a work for decades to come. Currently research is being done to learn more about the painting materials used in Ethiopian artworks, including this 17th-century manuscript depicting the “Miracles of Mary.”

Peruse some of the many papers the conservation and science team has published.

Discover the collaborative research initiative combining the resources of Northwestern University and the Art Institute.

Explore this toolkit designed for museum professionals, students, and anyone interested in learning about the interdisciplinary work of an art museum.

This educator resource offers guidance and support for dialogue and collaboration between art and science teachers at the middle school level.

These videos and their accompanying lesson plans explore science concepts and STEAM careers in museum conservation.