Many great artists, even though they left the mortal realm centuries ago, still enjoy a great deal of recognition for their legacies.

While it is true that exceptional materials can help create an artwork that can stand the test of time, many of the most famous pieces of art in museums and galleries around the world are still intact thanks to the work of art conservationists and restorers.

Even then, some works of art are still too valuable to even touch.

Speaking at a seminar dedicated to art conservation held by the Italian Cultural Institute in Jakarta, art historian Marco Riccòmini explained that Leonardo da Vinci’s Giaconda (otherwise known as the Mona Lisa), arguably the most famous painting in the world, is so valuable that even art restorers are not allowed to touch it at the Louvre.

“By profession, like the restorers, I like to touch the paintings to hold them in my hands. With the Gioconda, it is not possible. I have visited hundreds of museums around the world — I’ve been in the vaults of the Louvre, but the [Giaconda] is untouchable; it is impossible to approach,” he said.

Riccòmini even said the painting was so precious it was impossible to restore, as it was so fragile that no restorer wanted to take the risk and alter the image.

“Just think, in 1962 it was insured for US$100 million, the equivalent of $700 million these days. You don’t want to be the restorer who damages the Gioconda.”

Expert advice: (From left) Artist and lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology Dikdik Sayahdikumullah, art restorer Michaela Anselmini and C.T.S. representative Roberto Bellò talk on art restoration during a seminar in Jakarta. (Courtesy of Italian Cultural Institute)

Certainly, it is a risk not many would want to take. Even with artworks considered less valuable than the Giaconda, there have been a few mishaps with restoration attempts.

In 2012, an elderly woman in Spain was accused of destroying a 20th century fresco in a botched restoration job allegedly undertaken without permission.

The work, Elias Garcia Martinez’ Ecce Homo (Behold the Man), was no masterpiece, painted in two hours in 1910 by the artist directly on a column of a church in Borja, Spain.

The work, which depicts Jesus wearing a crown of thorns with his sorrowful gaze lifted to heaven, was turned into what appeared to be, in the words of BBC Europe correspondent Christian Fraser, a “crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic”.

Certainly, this is not what an art restorer either amateur or professional wants to happen to the Giaconda.

Art restorer Michaela Anselmini, who is currently undertaking a restoration process of a Lee Man Fong painting at the Hotel Kempinski in Jakarta, said that an art school background and documentation of the artwork being restored was beneficial to an art restorer.

“That’s why as an art restorer it’s good to have knowledge of art history and many times it has happened that if for example you’re working on a modern or contemporary artwork, you are allowed to call the artist to ask for the materials used,” she said.

Gone wrong: A combination of three documents provided by the Centre de Estudios Borjanos in 2012 shows the original version of the painting Ecce Homo (Behold the Man, left) by 19th-century painter Elias Garcia Martinez, the deteriorated version (center) and the restored version by an elderly woman in Spain. (AFP/Centre de Estudios Borjanos)

Still, knowledge of techniques and materials can be good to have, as they can help gauge the proper methods that need to be used.

Materials used in art conservation are also in a league of their own, bought from specialist manufacturers instead of from local art supply stores.

Roberto Bellò, a representative of the Italian art restoration equipment manufacturer C.T.S., explained that the products and technology used could vary by need, ranging from laser-assisted cleaning to agar-agar dirt absorption.

Having the knowledge that goes hand-in-hand with art restoration does not necessarily mean that one can list oneself as an art conservator — at least not in Italy.

Art conservation training in Italy is akin to a master’s degree, with a total training period of five years.

Even after this, it is not as easy as getting a degree. Riccardo Balbo, dean of Istituto Europeo di Design in Italy, said the specialist program was the only way to become an art restorer accredited by the Italian Culture Ministry.

In the end, it boils down to recognizing that artworks have value — not just in a monetary sense, but also in their significance for people.

“We know that heritage has value because when we enter a museum, they are already saying it to us. But who really understands the concept of value?” Balbo says.

“The community and society itself has to recognize that to give an object an appropriate value, someone must be able to understand what to pay for it. So there is no school of restoration and there are no restorers if there is no community that is able to recognize the value of heritage.” (ste)