Art Technology, Preservation and Restoration of Sculptures and Room Setting

The course of study includes a close content-dovetailing of both diverse theoretical as well as extensive subject-related practical teaching contents, the latter being taught using original artworks of public ownership. The intensive cooperation with monument preservation offices, museums, church institutions and castle administrations, even outside Germany, enables immediate practical relevance. The course of study, with numerous research projects involving all special classes and subject areas of the study programme, as well as close cooperation with other universities and research institutions, does justice to the highly interdisciplinary nature of the restoration profession. 

Assuming that the term sculpture is a collective term for all sculptural works, the subject area basically includes all three-dimensional works of art regardless of their material composition and period of origin. Students would be able to acquire such an unlimited spectrum of knowledge and skills in a wide range of material fields, from wood and stone to papier-mâché, stucco, leather and ceramics, as well as various metals and plastics, including their respective surface designs. The inclusion of carrier materials is essential because focussing only on the surface designs and their preservation would not meet the requirements of professional restoration practice. After completing their studies, graduates in the chosen discipline should possess all the knowledge and skills that will enable them to perform their tasks independently, self-reliantly and in a scientifically sound and appropriate manner, and to fulfil their responsibility towards artistic and cultural assets and towards the special position of trust placed in them by the client. If one looks at the evolution of the many restoration specialisations in our professional field and their specific requirements for knowledge and practical skills, it becomes clear that it is not possible to tackle such a broad range of materials in the necessary depth in a five-year course of study. Therefore, it is necessary to concentrate the basic training content on those material or object groups that will be useful for the future professional activity and economic livelihood of the graduates.  At the same time however, students are offered individual specialisation opportunities in line with their interests during practical training in special classes, as well as in seminar papers and diploma theses. Further specialisation opportunities open up when students choose doctoral topics in line with their interests.

We intend to pursue our academy’s decades-long tradition of researching and conserving painted wooden sculptures from all regions of origin and epochs as the main pillar of our subject area and develop it further in a targeted manner. Due to the very rich stock of polychrome altarpieces and individual sculptures and the intensive restoration work carried out on them here in Saxony for more than one hundred years, it is possible to incorporate already existing collaborations with museums, state offices for monument preservation and well-known research institutions and thus a wealth of experience into the training we offer. Examples include areas such as the decontamination and de-oiling of wooden objects or the static-constructive securing of altar retables. This, in turn, opens up numerous collaboration opportunities at the international level as well. Given the special significance of polychrome wooden sculptures in almost all cultures of the world and their extremely rich stock, it can be expected that this subject area will provide good economic livelihood opportunities to graduates in the future.

Even if stone or metal sculptures are not the focus of the subject area because of the necessary material-specific knowledge and experience and the special technical and spatial requirements, the course offers at least basic knowledge, especially regarding the mounting techniques used in these sculptures. In many cases, these have a close artistic and art technology connection to surface designs on wooden objects.

Since the picture carrier wood, in combination with the most varied materials, as well as mounting and decoration techniques, plays a key role in sacred and secular interior designs from almost all epochs, this area should be meaningfully included as another main pillar in research and education. This applies to painted wall coverings, wooden ceilings, galleries, pulpits and organ cases. Even though the focus of the subject area is on works of fine art, the boundaries are still fluid. Often, elements of the fine arts are inextricably linked with those of applied arts or handicrafts – artistically as well as materially.

In recent years, especially in the field of art and architectural history, great progress has been made in the perception of interior designs as cultural assets (which are worthy of protection) in the sense of artistic syntheses. The training programme offered also needs to respond to this progress. A complex approach that goes beyond the individual object is an indispensable prerequisite for the success and sustainability of all conservation measures, especially in monument preservation practice. This is applicable when dealing with room furnishings as an artistic synthesis not just from an aesthetic point of view. The extraordinarily complex interrelations of different material or object groups, both with each other and with the surrounding building fabric in terms of technical construction and building climate, should also be taken into account. For this reason, the restoration of interiors particularly requires networked thinking, a holistic approach, as well as the will and skill for interdisciplinary collaboration in addition to correspondingly wide knowledge. Professional competence for interior restoration tasks is not intended to replace or oust the individual areas of restoration, but network with each other in a targeted manner, thereby creating the conditions for a trusting and successful collaboration, for example, in project-based working groups.

There are no training opportunities worldwide for objects made of gold leather as a possible room furnishing component. This course of study provides an overview of the special problem of painted leather objects and offers individual specialisation opportunities to interested local and foreign students.

The theoretical curriculum is complemented by the intensively supervised practical work on original objects in the spacious and very well-equipped studio rooms of the special class. Further specialisation opportunities arise for students in the context of on-site university projects and academic summer schools, as well as through internships in memorial offices, museums or with freelance restorers.