Behind The Scenes

A Live Conservation Lab

Curators: Galit Bennett-Dahan and Sharon Tager
Assistant Curator: Yarin Spinko
Designer: Netanel Dahan
Spertus Gallery

The exhibition showcases, for the first time, the work of the Israel Museum's conservators in action – processes usually performed far from the public eye. Displayed in the exhibition space are eight items from the Museum's collections; each has an interesting story to tell, discovered in the course of collaborative research on the items by curators and conservators.

Conservation aims to ensure the material integrity of pieces of cultural heritage. To achieve this goal, conservators follow ethical guidelines and adhere to the principles that guided the objects' production. The Museum's Conservation Department consists of six laboratories that handle the hundreds of thousands of items in the collection – archaeological finds, artworks, and ethnographic artifacts. Each lab specializes in different materials. The Conservation Department is the first and most comprehensive of its kind among Israeli museums, and its history as a leader in the field of conservation is rich and varied.