The National Gallery London, UK

About
The National Gallery, founded in 1824, houses the Brtish national collection of Western European painting, about 2400 works, from the 13th to the early 20th centuries. It is on show 361 days a year, free of charge.
The collection of Western European painting from the thirteenth to the nineteenth century housed at the National Gallery is one of the greatest in the world, and receives about 4.5 million visitors per year. The nineteen departments cover a wide range of activities, including the care, preservation, study, presentation and promotion of the collection, educational activities and visitor services.

Relevant experience and role
The Scientific Department is a world leader in all aspects of the technical study and care of European old master pictures, as well as multidisciplinary research with the conservation and curatorial departments. Particular areas of expertise include: the analysis of the materials of paintings; the history, technology and development of European painting technique and materials, and the literature of painting practice.
Within conservation science, the strengths are in preventive conservation, monitoring and environmental management of picture galleries, as well as the assessment and monitoring of other factors potentially damaging to pictures such as shock and vibration within buildings, and for paintings travelling on loan. In addition, studies are undertaken into the deterioration of traditional painting materials (fading, darkening, chemical interactions and so on), the factors responsible, and also on the safety and reliability of conservation procedures for paintings, particularly cleaning. The Department has developed a leading presence in the field of high-resolution digital imaging of paintings for accurate colour recording, the applications of these images in printing and image-processing, and is currently conducting research in digital archiving and access to technical documents on works of art.

The NGL is involved is responsible for the activities aimed at defining best practices and protocols toward common  standards  and it is also involved in the transnational access programme (ARCHLAB) and in outreach programmes activities in particular to enhance scientific activities. It participates to research joint activities as participant to the implementation of a portal to cultural heritage knowledge and the development of innovative methodologies and instrumentation for laboratory research.

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