2009 - Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

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Max Klinger’s “Drama” being
cleaned for the future permanent
exhibition in the Albertinum.
Baroque period, it has now been returned
to its former condition.
Another major restoration project involving
the antique sculptures is that of the bust
of “Ares Borghese” (Inv. Hm 91). After the
work had been taken apart and all the
old iron dowels had been removed, the
individual fragments were cleaned,
reassembled, puttied and retouched.
• Medieval sculptures
Several mounted wooden sculptures were
technologically investigated and restored
ahead of the exhibition of medieval
sculptures at the Schlossbergmuseum in
Chemnitz, which opened in June. Particularly
worthy of mention are the largeformat
figures from the altar of the
Michaeliskirche in Zeitz, the “Archangel
Michael”, the “Madonna of the Crescent
Moon” and “Saint Catherine”, which date
from about 1520. These sculptures stand
out on account of their monumentality,
their wealth of ornamental and narrative
details, their ornate painting and their
expression of supreme serenity. On all
three figures, the old wax coatings and
areas of overpainting were removed, the
works were cleaned and damaged areas
puttied and retouched.
Else Gabriel, “ONE WAY – Schwarzschild –
Kalte Anschläge”, 1986, Kunstfonds
Kunstfonds
• Else Gabriel, ONE WAY – Schwarzschild –
Kalte Anschläge, 1986, 65 × 90 cm,
black-and-white photographs
The nine photographs by the artist Else
Gabriel were produced in Dresden in the
1980s in connection with performances
by the “Autoperforation Artists”. They
show moments in a performance and
the props used. As a performance documentation,
the photographs were stuck
on wood-containing cardboard, some
of which was damaged and dirty. The conservation
work that was necessary in order
to preserve this important series relating
to artistic developments in Dresden in the
1980s was carried out in 2009.
The photographs were removed from their
old support and mounted on new archivequality
cardboard.
Georg Kretzschmar, “Lernende Kinder”
(Children Learning), c.1950, after restoration,
Kunstfonds
• Georg Kretzschmar, Children Learning,
c.1950, Oil/canvas
This painting by Georg Kretzschmar is an
example of the painting style of Socialist
Realism as it was presented at the 3rd
German Art Exhibition in 1953. There are
very few examples from this period
among the holdings of GDR art in the
collection of the Kunstfonds. During
investigations to establish the state of
preservation of the works following the
transfer of the Kunstfonds storerooms to
their new location, it was found that this
painting was in need of considerable restoration.
This restoration work was carried
out this year, particularly in order to
enable the painting to be shown in the
exhibition Schaudepot #4. Gruppenbilder
(Storeroom 4. Group Pictures). After the
painting had been cleaned and its original
colours revealed, the paint layer was
secured and retouched and the frame was
repaired.