Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. In Memory of Jean-Paul Gandolfo 2. Fotografías Perdurables, a photograph conservation resource website in Spanish 3. RE: AI companies reportedly destroying rare books 4. Paintings research query 5. Reminder - Conference MA-XRF2026 - Paris - Registrations open 6. What is your institution doing in the heat wave ? 7. Fellowship in Painting Conservation at NYU ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Luisa Casella Posted: Wednesday July 29, 2026 6:02 PM Subject: In Memory of Jean-Paul Gandolfo Message: It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of the passing of our dear colleague Jean-Paul Gandolfo. His departure is a profound loss to the international community of photograph conservators, historians, students and educators, and to the many friends who had the privilege of working alongside him. Jean-Paul trained at the National School of Photography and Cinematography (ENPC), graduating from its photography section in 1977.He went on to serve as head of the photographic laboratory of the Muse Albert-Kahn from 1977 to 1995. From 1995 until 2020 he was a professor at the cole nationale suprieure Louis Lumire, teaching wet darkroom practice, silver-based, historical, and alternative processes, and photographic conservation to generations of students who would carry his knowledge into the field. His scholarship extended far beyond the classroom. Jean-Paul contributed to research programs on the history, technology, and conservation of photographs in partnership with institutions in France and abroad. He lectured at the Institut national du patrimoine, the cole du Louvre, and the Centre international de conservation du livre, and from 2000 served on the editorial committee of the ARSAG journal Support-Trac.His authoritative studies on the Autochrome, color photographic processes, and nineteenth-century pigment processes, including his celebrated collaborations with Bertrand Lavdrine, remain essential references for our field. Following his retirement in 2021, Jean-Paul remained deeply engaged, continuing his research into the history of photographic processes and his teaching at the cole du Louvre, the Conservatoire international de photographie du Grand Paris, and the Universit Paris 1 Panthon-Sorbonne. His commitment to the transmission of photographic knowledge was a throughline of his life. Those who knew Jean-Paul will remember him as an incredibly generous colleague, funny and kind. He was always responsive and available, with a wholesome sense of humor, extraordinary intelligence and rigorous critical thinking. He gave freely of his time and expertise, and did so with a warmth that made every exchange a pleasure. He will be greatly missed, and our community is poorer without him. Jean-Paul teaching dye transfer.Image by Bertrand Lavdrine 2.From: Alejandra Mendoza Posted: Wednesday July 29, 2026 6:32 PM Subject: Fotografías Perdurables, a photograph conservation resource website in Spanish Message: Fotografas Perdurables <https://www.fotografiasperdurables.com/>, building knowledge and fostering inspiration, a photograph conservation resource website in Spanish We are delighted to announce the launch of Fotografas Perdurables <https://www.fotografiasperdurables.com/>, a Spanish-language platform dedicated to advancing the study, connoisseurship, management, and conservation of photographic heritage. An initiative of GIF (Grupo de Investigacin en Materia de Fotografas), the project addresses a persistent lack of accessible, specialized resources in Spanish, while engaging with broader international discussions on materiality, deterioration, and preservation of photographs. The website is organized into five sections: The Latest, In Depth, Photograph Conservation and Management, Library, and GIF. It features a wide range of content, including Featured Photographs, Essays, Interviews, In-depth Information on Photographic Processes, a Chronology of the Development of Photography, an Illustrated Glossary of Deterioration Effects in Photographs, various articles on Photograph Conservation and Collections Management, a curated bibliography with downloadable documents, and links to other online resources, such as web-based tools. Fotografas Perdurables is an ongoing project that will continue to expand with new publications and specialized resources. To date, the initiative has brought together 51 contributors from 12 countries across 4 continents, with contributions in English and French translated into Spanish to make them accessible to a wider Spanish-speaking audience. As we celebrate this launch, we would like to extend an open invitation to colleagues who share an interest in photographs to become part of this initiative. We would be delighted to hear from you and explore opportunities to collaborate with Fotografas Perdurables. Alejandra Mendoza, Fernanda Valverde, Santiago Navarrete, and Karla lvarezEditorial Team, Fotografas Perdurableswww.fotografiasperdurables.com <http://www.fotografiasperdurables.com> 3.From: Jean Dommermuth Posted: Wednesday July 29, 2026 6:33 PM Subject: RE: AI companies reportedly destroying rare books Message: Hi Saira, Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Its very disturbing, but Im not sure what can be done. Physical libraries - public and personal- become ever more precious. ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 7/28/2026 10:08:00 AM From: Saira Haqqi Subject: AI companies reportedly destroying rare books I was disturbed to come across this article, "AI Companies Are Buying Antique Books, Ingesting Their Contents to Train Models, and Then Destroying Them at Incredible Scale <https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-companies-destroying-rare-books>." Per the article: One small book seller said that in April, he suddenly went from selling no more than 20 books a week to hundreds, and he's almost certain that the customers are AI labs, noting the random selection of the books and how they all have ISBNs. He added that his inventory is full with rare and out of print books, meaning that an AI company could be destroying some of the few remaining copies that can be found. This seems like something that cultural heritage organizations like ours should be aware of and potentially taking a stand against. Additionally, as people committed to the care and preservation of cultural heritage, I think it is important for us to take practices like this, as well as the obvious human and environmental costs, into account when contemplating the use of generative AI tools. Initially, I was going to suggest that this is something AIC could (should?) release a statement about -- however, I can't see that this would actually achieve anything. If anyone has ideas for how we could effectively organize around this, I would love to hear them. Best, Saira ------------------------------ Saira Haqqi (she/they) Senior Conservator National Archives and Records Administration College Park, MD [email protected] ------------------------------ 4.From: Elizabeth Mansfield Posted: Wednesday July 29, 2026 6:33 PM Subject: Paintings research query Message: I am an art historian currently working on British, oil-on-canvas portraits of the 18th century. I've encountered an interesting cut-and-paste technique associated chiefly with two portrait painters, Hamlet Winstanley (1698 - 1756) and Robert Edge Pine (1730-88), and I'm hoping to learn how widespread this technique might have been. Both artists occasionally painted the faces of their subjects directly onto a small piece of canvas, which would then be glued onto (or fitted into) larger canvases before the whole work was finished, sometimes by a different artist or an assistant. In Pine's case, the piece of canvas on which he painted the face (presumably from life) would be trimmed down to the edge of the face, resulting in oval pieces of canvas that would be glued onto or stitched into a larger canvas. The technique is documented in Robert G. Stewart's catalogue of Pine's American paintings (1784 1788), which includes x-ray images of some paintings. I would be grateful to know if this technique is evident in works on canvas by other British or European painters active between 1650 and 1850. With thanks and apologies for any cross-postings, Elizabeth Mansfield Penn State University [email protected] <[email protected]> 5.From: Lucile Brunel-Duverger Posted: Wednesday July 29, 2026 6:33 PM Subject: Reminder - Conference MA-XRF2026 - Paris - Registrations open Message: CONFERENCE MA-XRF 2026 Parishttps://maxrf2026.sciencesconf.org/ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://maxrf2026.sciencesconf.org/__;!!Gnbj7qdtAHuaEg!vDyoV3tDpBHGZs1P-D-ItT7e_DoMZQzuJyRcgPOhq5nZbf4KQeqcXH7OT4-aNRRJYSGhyqDLD8hO6x6hw0BTp_rzkzuGWV2-OwV6-E6pwuQx2g$> Reminder : Registrations are now open ! Registrations are made directly here <https://dr02.azur-colloque.fr/inscription/en/231/preinscription>.Please note : online pre-registration is mandatory before the 08/27/2026 ! Rates:Early bird registration (until 2026/06/14)Standard: 385 (3 days) / 130 (1 day)Student: 165 Late registrationsStandard: 440 (3 days) / 150 (1 day)Student: 220 Registrations 12 conservation-restoration day Free (required) Gala dinner 85At the Restaurant du Muse dOrsay <https://musiam-paris.com/en/adresse/le-restaurant-du-musee-dorsay/> (vegan meal option) Meal 8 pmProposed visit of the Museum from 6 to 8 pm with audio guide This workshop to be held in Paris, within the <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.google.com/maps/place/Grand*Amphitheatre*of*the*Museum/@48.8442728,2.3570081,17z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x47e671f05b9ed7a7:0x22e3cfecb6cb7688!2sGrand*Amphitheatre*of*the*Museum!8m2!3d48.8442728!4d2.3570081!16s*2Fg*2F1ydddk_4z!3m5!1s0x47e671f05b9ed7a7:0x22e3cfecb6cb7688!8m2!3d48.8442728!4d2.3570081!16s*2Fg*2F1ydddk_4z?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw*3D*3D__;KysrKysrKyslJSUlJSU!!Gnbj7qdtAHuaEg!vDyoV3tDpBHGZs1P-D-ItT7e_DoMZQzuJyRcgPOhq5nZbf4KQeqcXH7OT4-aNRRJYSGhyqDLD8hO6x6hw0BTp_rzkzuGWV2-OwV6-E5HVbrnuw$>French National Museum of Natural History <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.google.com/maps/place/Grand*Amphitheatre*of*the*Museum/@48.8442728,2.3570081,17z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x47e671f05b9ed7a7:0x22e3cfecb6cb7688!2sGrand*Amphitheatre*of*the*Museum!8m2!3d48.8442728!4d2.3570081!16s*2Fg*2F1ydddk_4z!3m5!1s0x47e671f05b9ed7a7:0x22e3cfecb6cb7688!8m2!3d48.8442728!4d2.3570081!16s*2Fg*2F1ydddk_4z?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw*3D*3D__;KysrKysrKyslJSUlJSU!!Gnbj7qdtAHuaEg!vDyoV3tDpBHGZs1P-D-ItT7e_DoMZQzuJyRcgPOhq5nZbf4KQeqcXH7OT4-aNRRJYSGhyqDLD8hO6x6hw0BTp_rzkzuGWV2-OwV6-E5HVbrnuw$>, between Thursday September 29th and Friday October 2nd 2026 aims to bring together researchers interested in MA-XRF and complementary imaging techniques for the study of cultural and natural heritage, including Reflectance Imaging Spectroscopy (RIS), Luminescence Imaging Spectroscopy (LIS), X-Ray Diffraction Mapping (XRD), Confocal XRF (CXRF), and more.Discussions will focus on the latest advancements in instrument development, data evaluation methods, and their applications in case studies. A particular emphasis will be placed on the integration of MA-XRF with other techniques in multi-modal analytical approaches. The program is available online <https://maxrf2026.sciencesconf.org/data/pages/Preliminary_program_MAXRF2026_com_posters_20260720.pdf>. The proceedings will be published as a virtual issue in X-Ray Spectrometry. Friday morning, October 2nd, will be devoted to the specific issues facing museum curators. This half-day will take place within the Ecole du Louvre. We hope you many ! Local Organizing Committee :Oulfa Belhadj, Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation (CRC), Paris, FranceLucile Brunel-Duverger, Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Muses de France (C2RMF), Paris, FranceThomas Calligaro, Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Muses de France (C2RMF)/Lab-BC, Paris, FranceMarie-Anglique Languille, Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation (CRC), Paris, FranceAnne Michelin, Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation (CRC), Paris, FranceLaurent PICHON, Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Muses de France (C2RMF)/Lab-BC, Paris, FranceMarie Radepont, Centre de Recherche sur la Conservation (CRC), Paris, FranceIna Reiche, Lab-BC/Centre de Recherche et de Restauration des Muses de France (C2RMF), Paris, FranceLaurence de Viguerie, Laboratoire Archologie Molculaire et Structurale Paris (LAMS), Paris, France International Scientific Committee :Matthias Alfeld, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands Anik Bezur, Yale University, USA Claudia Caliri, INFN-LNS & ISPC-CNR, Italy Thomas Calligaro, C2RMF, France Silvia Centeno, Metropolitan Museum of Art, USAJohn Delaney, National Gallery of Art Washington, USA Joris Dik, Delft University of Technology, Netherlands Francesca Gabrieli, Rijksmuseum, Netherlands Alessandra Gianoncelli, ELETTRA, ItalyKoen Janssens, University of Antwerp, Belgium Marcello Picollo, IFAC-CNR, Italy Paolo Romano, CNR-ISPC, Italy Karen Trentelman, Getty Conservation Institute, USA Lucile Brunel-DuvergerIngnieur RechercheDpartement Recherche Groupe Peinture - C2RMF 14 Quai Franois Mitterrand - 75001 Paris [email protected] <[email protected]> +33(0)6 67 66 96 27www.c2rmf.fr <http://www.c2rmf.fr> 6.From: Paul Harrison Posted: Wednesday July 29, 2026 6:33 PM Subject: What is your institution doing in the heat wave ? Message: BBC Radio 4 ,29 July The program Front Row , is a magazine program on the arts , this article is entitled how the opioid crisis inspired an opera , the second article is about how museums are managing in the heat . They interview Mortice Consulting and the Natural History Museum . What are you doing? They have had to shut some galleries, modified the building back, removing the 1970s filling of vents in a Victorian building to encourage warm air to flow out . Allowing water drinking in the gallery etc (The third article is on paintings in Scotland , the opioid manufacturers have offered to fund galleries , so the whole program may be of interest to you , they also mention the Nanking Cargo without going into the controversy over it )Paul Harrison FIIC 7.From: Matthew Hayes Posted: Wednesday July 29, 2026 6:34 PM Subject: Fellowship in Painting Conservation at NYU Message: Dear Colleagues, I am excited to share the posting below for a one-year fellowship in paintings conservation in The Samuel H. Kress Program in Painting Conservation at the Conservation Center, funded by the Kress Foundation: https://apply.interfolio.com/189349 <https://apply.interfolio.com/189349> The start date is flexible; the application deadline is August 15. Please be in touch with any questions. Best wishes, Matt Hayes ------------------------------ Matthew Hayes, PhD Assistant Professor of Paintings Conservation Conservation Center, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University 14 East 78th Street, New York, NY 10075 [email protected] ------------------------------ You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. To change your subscriptions, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to https://community.culturalheritage.org/HigherLogic/eGroups/Unsubscribe.aspx?UserKey=d16eaa87-0f69-494b-9f2f-303dbc1222e1&sKey=fab9aa4f27a04c5d876e&GroupKey=757a8f16-505f-4323-8e74-e376757aa9f7.
