Study set to save city’s fragile art

Will Thomson
Some of Geelong’s most valuable but fragile public art will go under the microscope to save it from the ravages of time.
Geelong Gallery has secured a federal heritage grant to run a “significance assessment” of more than 2000 works on paper including rare watercolours, early photographs, drawings and prints, some dating back to the 1780s.
Gallery boss Geoffrey Edwards said the collection was one of the best on paper in regional Australia.
“The collection includes most, if not all, of the best known and historically important visual records of the history of our region,” he said.
Mr Edwards listed some of the notable works as Alexander Webb’s 19th Century watercolour Yarra Street, Louis Buvelot’s 1869 Terrinallum and two paintings of escaped convict William Buckley during the years he spent living with Aborigines in the region.
Mr Edwards said the artworks for investigation appeared to have escaped serious damage.
“Mercifully, there is no crisis,” he said.
“However, it is a big collection of works and there is some very early work that is developing brown spots called foxing, which needs to be treated.
“Many of our works don’t need anything done but we don’t know that until you look at every single one, which is what the grant is for. It’s a worthy process and a terrific outcome for a terrific archive – this is more a proactive move and an assessment that ensures we don’t end up in deep water.”
Mr Edwards said the federal cash would help pay for an “independent professional” to run an essential stage on the conservation process.
“The gallery already undertakes a certain amount of conservation work but this is a much more comprehensive approach to what is one of the fundamental responsibilities of a public collection,” he said.
“As with painting conservation, the scientific treatments used in conserving works on paper are fascinating and will allow visitors and researchers to enjoy the works well into the future.”
The gallery has around 5500 artworks, with 200 on display.