Man of Vision. Paul Coremans and the Preservation of Cultural Heritage

Brepols Publishers 2019. softcover, 377 pages ., 230 x 290 mm,_English. ISBN 9782930054346. Proceedings of the International Symposium Paul Coremans Held in Brussels, 15-17 June 2015 In June 2015, the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) organized an international symposium in honour of its founder and first director Paul Coremans (1908-1965). Exactly fifty years after his death, it was a unique opportunity to look back on his extraordinary career and the impact of his innovative ideas and vision on the conservation and restoration of works of art. His ground-breaking insights have been widely recognized in Belgium and all over the world. Paul Coremans? fields of interest were broad: the conservation of works of art in museums, preventive conservation and climate control, the protection of cultural heritage in times of war ? a highly topical issue -, as well as the status and role of the restorer, the importance of photographic documentation and scientific research, or the detection of art forgeries. Coremans? belief in the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of works of art still inspires many art historians, conservator-restorers and scientists today. This book ? the Proceedings of the 2015 Brussels Symposium ? presents twenty original contributions that reveal Coremans? multi-faceted personality and action. It is the first monograph devoted to this visionary Belgian scientist and Monuments Man. Table of Contents Foreword Hilde De Clercq Director General a.i. of the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage Introduction Marie-Christine Claes et Dominique Vanwijnsberghe Part 1 An Inspiring Scientist 1 Early Museum Laboratories and the Pursuit of Objectivity Geert Vanpaemel 2 Paul Coremans (1908-1965): A Pioneer Chemist in the Application of Scientific Techniques to the Visual Arts Hendrik Deelstra and Duncan Thorburn Burns 3 Vijftig jaar 14C-dateringen aan het Koninklijk Instituut voor het Kunstpatrimonium (KIK-IRPA) te Brussel Mark Van Strydonck 4 Paul Coremans et la restructuration du Laboratoire du Musée du Louvre dans l?après-guerre Camille Bourdiel 5 The Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage: Design and Realisation of a Ground-Breaking Building Gertjan Madalijns Part 2 A Monuments Man 6 Paul Coremans, l?inventaire photographique du patrimoine artistique belge et ses relations avec l?occupant, 1940-1945 Christina Kott 7 Paul Coremans et ses actions en faveur de la sauvegarde des peintures murales Ilona Hans-Collas Part 3 Flanders in the Fifteenth Century 8 Construction of a Vision: Coremans? Approach to the Study of Flemish Primitives before the Restoration of the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (The Ghent Altarpiece) Hélène Dubois and Dominique Deneffe 9 Le quotidien d?un idéal : l?Agneau mystique, catalyseur de l?interdisciplinarité Marie-Christine Claes, Hélène Dubois et Jana Sanyova 10 Paul Coremans, Edgar Richardson and the 1960 Flemish Art Show: A Transatlantic Friendship Forged by a Transatlantic Exhibition Yao-Fen You Part 4 The Van Meegeren Affair 11 D.G. van Beuningen?s Crusade against Paul Coremans Arjan de Koomen 12 Expertise in the Van Meegeren Case: the Contributions by Coremans, Froentjes and De Wild Arie Wallert and Michel van de Laar 13 The Amsterdam X-Rays for Coremans and Van Schendel Rick F.E.D. Hartmann Part 5 Friendships 14 Paul Coremans and Sheldon and Caroline Keck: A Collegial Friendship that Influenced the Development of Conservation Education in North America Jean D. Portell 15 Arthur van Schendel: Friend and Companion in the World of Museums and Conservation Jan Piet Filedt Kok 16 « Dear Paul | Cher Pan » Paul Coremans et Erwin Panofsky : histoire d?une amitié Dominique Vanwijnsberghe Part 6 Global Activities 17 At ICCROM?s Cradle: Paul Coremans and the Beginning of the ?Rome Centre? Stefano De Caro 18 Paul Coremans, un expert de l?UNESCO au Brésil : aperçu de sa contribution au développement du patrimoine brésilien Diogo de Souza Brito 19 Borobudur: the Alchemy of a World Heritage Site The Expert and the Student: Shared Views Nicole Gesché-Koning 20 Museum Policy Concerning the Conservation and Restoration of Artworks and the Rubens and Ensor Research Projects at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Karen Bonne, Elsje Janssen, Christine Van Mulders, Herwig Todts Part 7 Tributes to the ?Patron? 21 Un inoubliable meneur d?hommes Pierre Colman 22 La formation des restaurateurs Nicole Goetghebeur 23 Paul Coremans, Personal Memories Liliane Masschelein-Kleiner Bibliography Abbreviations Authors Index of Persons Photographic Credits Review "A Man of Vision: Paul Coremans and the Preservation of Cultural Heritage est un ouvrage indispensable à l?histoire de la conservation-restauration ; richement illustré et documenté, il fournit un éclairage sur une période charnière, en Belgique comme au niveau international. Bien au-delà de l?approche biographique, il permet d?appréhender les connexions, les échanges qui permettent aux disciplines de se développer, et au savoir de se construire." (Muriel Verbeeck-Boutin, CeROArt (Online), 11/2019, URL: http://journals.openedition.org/ceroart/6849)