Three conservators inspecting a painting, 1947.

Conservation at the Gallery

The Gallery established an in-house Conservation Department in 1946. Before this all conservation had been carried out by contracted experts. The new Department quickly established an excellent reputation, which was confirmed by the findings of a government enquiry in 1947.

The Department has pioneered new conservation techniques and trained conservators from other institutions. In 1977 the journal 'Technical Bulletin' was launched to disseminate the Conservation and Scientific Departments' specialist knowledge. It is now published annually.