The Conservation Studio has been operating within the Documentation Department of the Institute of Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences (IAH CAS) since 2009. Our main mission is the comprehensive restoration, conservation, and preventive care of collections. We specialize primarily in photographic materials (especially historical photographic techniques from the period of 1840–1980), works of art on paper (prints, watercolours, and related techniques), and historical documents, such as correspondence or architectural plans.
We have a modern, well-equipped facility that allows us to perform specialized conservation treatments. We continuously publish our conservation reports in the repository of the CAS. Our work is closely intertwined with the research activities of the institution and relies on interdisciplinary cooperation with the research and photographic departments of the Institute. In addition to caring for the collections of the IAH CAS, we provide expert consultations and consistently collaborate with leading memory institutions both in the Czech Republic and abroad.
We are an integral part of the research teams for several significant projects that connect basic and applied research with conservation practice. We participate in the rescue and research of a unique collection in the project The Oldest Photographs in the City Museum Polná. Within the project Heritage and Society in the Czech Lands between 1900 and 1960 (NAKI III), we are preparing an innovative audiovisual program focused on the methodology and primary care of private archives and collections of small museums. Furthermore, we collaborate on the basic research and identification project Photography Go-Betweens and the Closed Society (GAČR).
The Conservation Studio works closely with the Photography Research Centre (CVF) at the IAH CAS. Our shared goal is the systematic development of the field at both the national and international levels. For this reason, we are currently initiating the establishment of a professional platform for photograph conservators in the Czech Republic.
