What is conservation?

Conservation is at the heart of how we care for the Tate collection. Our specialist teams ensure that artworks are preserved for everyone to enjoy, now and in the future.

This involves researching artistic practice, materials, undertaking conservation treatments, and implementing preventive approaches for the care of the collection. We work closely with artists, their studios and estates to provide expert guidance on the acquisition, storage, handling and display of artworks. We seek to understand the unique needs of every artwork to ensure its long-term preservation.

Meet the teams

Learn more about the work of the Conservation teams

Funded projects

Learn about our funded conservation and research projects

Explore our work

Go behind the scenes and discover conservation case studies

conservators treating a painting
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Conserving Whaam!

Watch Tate's conservation team revive Roy Lichtenstein's pop masterpiece

A group of people looking at prints by Rineke Dijkstra on a tabletop with a bright studio light behind
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Conservation and Management of Contemporary Colour Art Photography

This research supports the development of expertise in the conservation and stewardship of contemporary art photography at Tate

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Software-based Art Preservation

October 2017 – ongoing

A research project into the care and preservation of software-based artworks in the Tate collection

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Tudor and Stuart Technical Research

Conservators and conservation scientists at Tate completed the technical examination and scientific analysis of over a hundred Tudor paintings in the Tate collection

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Documentation and Conservation of Performance

March 2016 – March 2021

Tate’s Time-based Media Conservation team is developing its approach to the documentation and conservation of performance-based artworks

The Preserving Immersive Media project explores how to effectively care for artworks which use immersive technologies like virtual reality headsets
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Preserving Immersive Media

September 2018 – ongoing

A research project developing strategies for the preservation of artworks which utilise immersive media such as 360 video, real-time 3D, virtual, augmented and mixed reality

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