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The Podium

Last chance! Check it out on Het Nieuwe Instituut's roof and book a timeslot for The Podium!

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Photos - Restoration and Conservation

The Disclosing Architecture programme enhances the preservation and accessibility of the photo collection. A large part of the photo collection is currently stored together with the paper archive. However, the photo collection requires specific conservation and restoration in terms of packing and the appropriate storage climate. Due to their chemical nature, photographic images can be damaged by light, climate, harmful substances in the environment and packaging, among other things. This project initially opts for conservation, restoration and digitisation of the photo prints. 

Photo Ernst Molenaar.
Photo Ernst Molenaar.
El Lissitzky and Vilmos Huszar: 4/i/Lampe Heliokonstruktion 125 Volt, 1923. Gelatin silver print on baritated paper . Collection Het Nieuwe Instituut, EEST 10.1414. © Pictoright.

Van Eesteren and El Lissitzky’s Photogram

The National Collection for Dutch Architecture and Urban Planning contains an estimated 300,000 photo prints in around 700 different archives. The 1923 photogram, 4/i/Lampe Heliokonstruktion 125 Volt by El Lissitzky and Vilmos Húszar, is a special and rather atypical example, which at the same time illustrates the value of the photo collection as a primary source. The work is part of the estate of architect and urban planner Cornelis van Eesteren (1897-1988), who was in the De Stijl circle.

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Piet Blom. Study for ‘Living as an Urban Roof’, 1965, presentation materials and collages. Collection Het Nieuwe Instituut, BLOM p8. The panel exhibits examples of different conservation issues: the discolouration of colour photographs and the addition of various materials, such as marker pen and newspaper to the photograph. Moreover, the components cannot be taken apart and conserved separately because the context in which they have been used must be preserved.

Het Nieuwe Instituut Participates in Photography Conservation Project

To expand our understanding of photographic processes and the conservation of modern photography, Het Nieuwe Instituut is participating in Collection Knowledge 2.0 – Photography, a partnership between institutions with photography collections, led by the Foundation for the Conservation of Contemporary Art (SBMK) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA). A series of identification days will take place in Het Nieuwe Instituut from 1 to 9 July.

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