Sharing canvas painting conservation techniques... Leeum Museum of Art held international workshop and public lecture

[Financial News] An international workshop and public lecture were held to teach conservation techniques that reduce damage to canvas paintings and share care methods suited to different artwork materials.
Leeum Museum of Art said on the 26th that it held the “2026 Leeum Contemporary Art Conservation Workshop” from the 21st to the 24th. Expert training took place from the 21st to the 23rd, followed on the 24th by the “Leeum Conservation Talk” for artists and the general public.
Paints used in contemporary paintings respond differently to aging, environmental changes and conservation treatments depending on their materials. A cleaning method that is safe for one type of paint may damage another, making it important to understand the properties of the materials.
Fifteen painting conservators from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines and Australia took part in the expert workshop, held in collaboration with Japan’s National Center for Art Research (NCAR). Conservators affiliated with art museums and other museums, as well as independent conservators, were selected based on criteria including their professional experience.
The training focused on “mist-lining,” the process of adding backing fabric to the reverse of a weakened canvas. The technique supports a painting by spraying adhesive in a fine mist and joining the two fabrics under low pressure.
The workshop was led by painting conservator Kate Seymour, former chair of the International Council of Museums Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC). Participants learned the principles of the technique and examples of its application, and practiced preparing and spraying adhesive and making low-pressure sealed bags.
Wenting Chen, a painting conservator at Hong Kong’s M+ Museum, said, “This workshop was a valuable opportunity to learn firsthand the mist-lining technique I had long wanted to learn and to share experiences with fellow conservators.”
Around 160 people, including painting artists, art students and members of the public, attended the public lecture held in the museum auditorium on the 24th. Seymour introduced materials and techniques ranging from classical Western painting to contemporary art, and explained factors to consider for long-term conservation.
Seymour then spoke with Yu Nan-i, a conservation researcher at Leeum Museum of Art’s Conservation Research Lab, and answered questions submitted in advance about the creation and conservation of artworks.
“Because conservation of contemporary art is a constantly changing field, international cooperation to share new technologies and experience is becoming increasingly important,” said researcher Yu.
The origins of the conservation research labs at Leeum and Ho-Am Art Museum lie in the conservation science lab that the Samsung Foundation of Culture established at Ho-Am Art Museum in 1989.
Leeum Museum of Art plans to hold annual intensive workshops addressing key issues and new technologies in contemporary art conservation. It plans to invite conservators from Korea and abroad to provide theoretical and hands-on training, and to continue offering a forum for sharing research findings and professional experience from across Asia.

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