The Anatomy of Restoration

Authors’ Comment

”The Anatomy of Restoration” is an exhibition that aims to reveal the meticulous process of restoration for the works of art from the National Museum of Art of Romania. The restoration is literally dissected, the exhibition bringing together 80 restored works of art, photos that capture each stage of this process as well as videos, written information, but also tools and materials used by restorers in their work.
The architectural concept is based on the metaphor of ”a battlefield hospial”, by making use of simple materials and gestures and creating a neutral background that highlights the almost radiant works of art. All the addtional materials (photos, videos, etc.) are placed on a perimeter shelf. The walk through the exhibition takes the visitor from “room” to “room”, from “laboratory” to “laboratory”, in such a way as to cover all the nine restoration laboratories of the museum: painting on canvas, painting on wood, graphics, sculpture, textiles, ceramics, metal, furniture, frame restoration.

Jury Comments

This is the second project from AbruptArhitectura in this category. Again, we came across a very well worked exhibition design. The designers excel in taking a very narrow subject matter and making it interesting for a general public. This is an impressive task. The Anatomy of Restoration is built up around small laboratories studying the different aspects of the restoration process. The materials are simple and cheap, but none the less spot on in comparisons with the concept. It plays with the levels of transparency to evoke the curiosity of the viewer, and to create a calm around the objects on display. A very coherent exposition and design expression.