Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks

Over the last decades, the use of lasers in artwork conservation has became an important tool for many conservators, scientists, architects and other experts, who are involved in the care of monuments and artefacts or applied laser technology. Professor Costas Fotakis first brought together restorers and scientists in 1995 to discuss the potential of lasers in art conservation. The field of “Lasers in the Conservation of Artworks” has since gained considerably in importance, and nowadays restorers and laser scientists work closely together to develop new applications. Furthermore a large number of national and international research projects have been carried out by conservator-restorers, architects and scientists. In the last 10 years, historical and artistically high-quality monuments (e.g. St. Stephens Cathedral in Vienna) have been cleaned or measured by laser, and this has established the laser in the spectra of tools that are useful in the practical realm of artworks. The proceedings of the 2005 congress addresses scientists, conservator-restorers, companies, architects, decision-makers and other experts involved in conservation projects or in the research of new laser equipment.