The Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich has an extensive collection of works that encompass a wide range of materials with highly diverse, work-specific properties and features. The collection mainly comprises prints and drawings on paper, photographic prints, and books. It also contains a number of multiples (art objects of various kinds) and printing plates.
Our conservation studio oversees the preservation of these works of art for posterity—both by storing them in the ideal environment and by protecting them from potential harm. Each work in the collection has its own conservation requirements, which need to be fulfilled to the highest possible standard.
Preventative conservation is one of the studio’s most important tasks and is always the first course of action. In order to forestall any potential damage, every effort is made to create the optimum environment for the long-term preservation of the works in our care. This includes, among other things, the production of protective storage boxes of various kinds and the selection of appropriate archival materials that works will come into contact with; the members of conservation team also clean works, provide training to ensure their correct handling, and monitor and control environmental conditions.
There is less need for hands-on restoration as such. Since most of the works in our holdings are in good condition, and it is only the exceptions that require restoration, the main focus is on taking care of the entire collection rather than on individual items. Interventions are only needed when time has taken its toll on a work and it is found to be urgently in need of attention or when works are to be loaned to other institutions and minor damage is discovered. The most common tasks involve repairing tears in paper, undertaking water-based treatments, flattening sheets, and treatment of losses.
