Journal of Cultural Heritage 14 (2013) 290–296

Available online at

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Original article

Fibre Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy as a non-invasive tool for investigating

plastics degradation in contemporary art collections: A methodological study on
an expanded polystyrene artwork
Costanza Cucci ∗ , Leonardo Bigazzi , Marcello Picollo
Institute of Applied Physics “Nello Carrara”, Italian National Research Council (IFAC-CNR), Via Madonna del Piano 10, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Fibre Optics Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS) is a well-established technique, widely used in the conser-
Received 15 June 2012 vation field for in situ investigations and non-invasive diagnostics on traditional artworks. Nevertheless,
Accepted 22 August 2012 there is little knowledge on the use of this technique for investigating modern artists materials used in
Available online 29 September 2012
contemporary artworks. The present study, carried out within the wider framework of the EC funded
Project “POPART” (Preservation of Plastic ARTefacts in museum collections”), was aimed at investigating
Keywords: the possibility of extending the applications of FORS to synthetic polymers, and proposing this technique
Expanded polystyrene (EPS)
as new non-invasive analytical tool for diagnostics on plastic artworks in museum collections. Thus, a
Fibre Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy
(FORS)
real case was selected from the permanent collection of the Conteporary Art Centre “Luigi Pecci” (Prato,
Non-invasive diagnostics Italy). The artwork, created in 1990 by the artist Stefano Arienti, was entirely constituted of expanded
UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy polystyrene (EPS) and it showed diffused signs of degradation. The need of singling out the main causes of
Contemporary art deterioration in order to prevent further damages was evident. An in situ FORS measurements campaign
Artist interview was performed with the aim of gaining in-depth information about its conservation state and identifying
the main agents responsible for the observed degradation. Thanks to the non-invasivity of the technique
an extensive spectroscopic characterisation of different areas of the EPS surface could be performed and
the spectral data were exploited to build a map of the degraded areas of the artwork. Data acquired in
field were compared with those obtained from laboratory test performed on artificially aged EPS samples.
These results helped in ascertaining the detrimental actions of the light sources used to back illuminate
the artwork. In particular, in this case FORS proved to be effective in detecting EPS alterations before the
chromatic effects became visually evident. These results suggested that FORS may be considered as a good
candidate to be used for non-invasive investigations also on some modern materials and contemporary
artworks. The research was completed with an interview to the artist Stefano Arienti, whose point of
view was constructively integrated with the scientific results obtained. This emphasized the importance
of an interdisciplinary approach to the solution of conservative problem in the field of contemporary art.
© 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction and research aim
Over the last two decades, along with the growth of relevance of
the contemporary art sector in the cultural, economical and social
context, increased attention has been devoted to the themes of
preservation and maintenance of both modern and contemporary
artworks. Thus, a new research area, focussed on topics related to
contemporary art, has progressively taken shape in the field of con-
servation science, and it is documented by the growing literature
and the increasing number of projects and events launched in the
last few years [1–5]. Because this is a dawning research field, a
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 0555226405.
E-mail addresses: c.cucci@ifac.cnr.it (C. Cucci), leo.bigazzi@hotmail.it (L. Bigazzi),
m.picollo@ifac.cnr.it (M. Picollo).
number of new interweaved issues, not only related to the scientific
and technical aspects, but also to ethical and philosophical ques-
tions, continue to liven up a vivacious debate about conservation
of contemporary assets.
Some of the most difficult and still unresolved questions raised
are related to the unexpectedly rapid degradation of many modern
materials used to create contemporary artworks, which, despite
their short age, are starting to show dramatic deteriorations and
changes in appearance. Among these modern materials erro-
neously considered durable, a foremost place is occupied by the
huge class of synthetic polymers, more commonly known as “plas-
tics”. Plastics occur in a number of often-quoted artworks and
museum objects of historical and artistic value. Nevertheless, the
complex conservation problems related to preservation of plastic
objects have been mostly overlooked until quite recently. There
are two explanations for this fact. The first is that, as commonly

1296-2074/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.culher.2012.08.003
 C. Cucci et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 14 (2013) 290–296 291

thought, plastics are primarily associated with their environmen-

tal impact and subsequent recycling and disposing problems. As a
result, these materials were misleadingly considered to be stable,
long-lived and not perishable [6]. Also, this misconception about
the indestructibility of plastics often influenced the artists in their
choice of materials, and in many cases it has also induced curators
and museum professionals to disregard the problem of an unpre-
dictable short shelf life of plastic artworks. The second reason for a
tardy awareness of problems of plastics relies on the very pecu-
liar deterioration pathway of many synthetic polymers. Indeed,
several plastics are characterised by a relatively long induction
time – during which no sign of degradation is visible – followed
by a dramatic and accelerated decay process [7,8]. This typical
behaviour has been observed in many collections, museums and
film archives, which were unexpectedly faced with widespread
problems of preservation of plastic items previously considered in
good conservation state.
These facts lead museums and conservation institutions to
launch research programs related to plastics conservation. These
programs started as a niche sector around the beginning of 1990s,
but in the last years they have become one of the most frequent
topics in the field of conservation [9–12]. In particular, in 2008
an EC funded research Project “POPART” (Preservation Of Plastic
ARTefacts in museum collections), entirely devoted to the preser-
vation of plastic museum objects, was launched. The aim of this
project was to develop protocols and widely acceptable strategies
to improve conservation practices so as to properly maintain plastic
objects in museum collections [13,14]. In order to tackle the mani- Fig. 1. A view of the artwork Cartoline (1990–1991) by the artist Stefano Arienti,
during an exhibition at the Contemporary Art Centre “Lugi Pecci” in Prato (Italy) held
fold aspects of the problems, the project was structured in different
in 2005. The artwork, constituted of a wall of EPS panels (200 cm × 100 cm × 2 cm),
research areas, namely: was mounted on a wood structure and backlight by means of fluorescent tubes.
Image courtesy: Contemporary Art Centre “Luigi Pecci” (Prato, Italy).
• methods and instrumentation for identification and/or charac-
terisation of plastics;
• survey of collections and monitoring of museum conditions; reference materials. FORS is, in fact, a well-established technique
• assessment of degradation phenomena in polymers; for investigations of paintings and polychrome surfaces, on which
• treatments for cleaning and conservation. a wide range of applications and studies is reported [17–21]. How-
ever, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, FORS has never been
Particular attention was devoted to the development and test- applied to the study of polymers and plastic museum objects before
ing of new methodologies and portable instrumentation that could the POPART project.
be used for non-invasive investigations on plastic museum objects This paper presents a methodological study performed on an
and for a rapid identification of polymers constituting artworks expanded polystyrene (EPS) artwork investigated by means of
[15]. Indeed, most of the techniques commonly used for plastics FORS, which provided scientific data applicable to the assessment
identification (FTIR, ATR-FTIR, Raman, Py-GCMS, spot and heating of the degradation state of the artwork. These data make it pos-
tests, etc.) have been borrowed from the industrial field, where sible to propose a tailored solution for this specific conservative
non-destructivity is not an essential requirement for an analyti- problem.
cal technique. Because maintaining the integrity of the artwork is The case examined was the artwork Cartoline (Postcards, 1990)
considered a priority, the research carried out within POPART was (Fig. 1), created by the artist Stefano Arienti and now part of the
aimed at filling the lack of tools to perform non-invasive analysis permanent collection of the Contemporary Art Centre “Luigi Pecci”
and characterisation of plastics in collections [16]. in Prato (Italy) [22,23]. This artwork is entirely constituted of wide
The present study, which started within the framework of carved expanded polystyrene (EPS) panels. After a lengthy storage
POPART Project, is aimed at investigating the applicability of the in the museum archives, a new exhibition to the public includ-
Fibre Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS), in the Ultraviolet ing Cartoline was planned and, therefore, the artwork was included
(UV), Visible (VIS), and Near-Infrared (NIR) spectral regions, as a in a general survey aimed at evaluating its conservation state. In
non-invasive technique for diagnostics on plastic museum objects. this occasion, the EPS panels were found to be affected by dif-
FORS uses portable spectrophotometers equipped with optical fuse degradation signs (e.g. yellowing, embrittlement, and colour
fibres accessories, which allow the acquisition of the reflectance unevenness). These alterations were supposedly attributable to
spectrum over the surface of an object under examination. The the mounting arrangement adopted to display the artwork and,
reflectance spectrum is acquired over the extended UV-Vis-NIR more specifically, to the light sources used to backlight the pan-
spectral range so as to attain both compositional indications (Vis- els. On the other hand, the aesthetic role of the retro-illumination
NIR), through the identification of selected chemical groups, and of the EPS panels could not be disregarded, and it was evident
colorimetric analysis (Vis), which may be useful for the char- that the light sources had to be accounted for as a key element
acterization of selected degradation processes (especially those in displaying the artwork. Thus, curators were faced to several
accompanied by a colour change). It must be emphasized that the conflicting needs, such as the safeguard of the object, the satis-
actual informative content of the reflectance spectral data strongly faction of the public and the original artistic intent. A scientific
depends on the quality of the spectra acquired (e.g. the spectral experimental campaign based on FORS was, therefore, proposed in
resolution) and on the availability of reliable spectral archives of order to provide further information, which could be helpful in the
292 C. Cucci et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 14 (2013) 290–296

complex process of making decisions about the artwork. FORS mea-

surements were performed to investigate the possible causes of
the visually observed alterations and to establish their extent. The
scientific results obtained were integrated with other informative
elements, including the opinion of the artist, the condition report
and the curator’s point of view. This made it possible to propose an
interdisciplinary solution, as an optimal compromise between the
diverse requirements.

2. The artwork Cartoline and the conservative problem

The artwork Cartoline was originally created by the artist Ste-

fano Arienti to be exhibited in the Session “Aperto” at the 44th
Biennale in Venice in 1990. Subsequently, the artist replicated the
artwork Cartoline in several slightly different versions, which were
created between the 1990 and the 1991. The version of artwork
examined in the present paper was acquired from the Contem-
porary Art Centre “Luigi Pecci” in Prato in 1991 on the occasion
of the temporary exhibition “An emerging scene: contemporary
Italian artists” (Prato, Italy, 26 January–29 April 1991) [24]. Since
then, the artwork, still belonging to the permanent collection of the
Pecci Museum, has been kept in storage in the museum archives
and it has been occasionally exposed to the public in temporary
exhibitions.
Cartoline consists of a set of 65 white EPS panels
(200 cm × 100 cm × 2 cm) on which the artist engraved differ-
ent scenes using a mixed technique based on pyrograph and
chemical solvents. The name Cartoline is related to the various Fig. 2. Mounting scheme used to back illuminate the artwork Cartoline. The fluo-
themes carved on the panels, which reproduce several scenes rescent tubes are screwed to wooden supports fixed at the edges of the panels.

(e.g. classical icons, landscapes, etc.) extracted from the artist’s

personal collection of postcards. Each scene is represented in a
triptych, requiring the assembly of groups of three panels to obtain
a complete view. Nevertheless, the artwork is constructed to be
modular, thus allowing a degree of freedom in the display scheme.
Initially, Cartoline was displayed by placing various groups of
slightly overlapped vertical panels against the wall of the exposi-
tive room. In 1991 the artist himself proposed that the artwork be
displayed in a different way. The proposed assembling scheme is
the one still adopted today. In this mounting scheme, the panels are
vertically fixed to a wooden structure, which also serves to hold the
fluorescent tubes positioned behind each panel (Fig. 2). In this way
a sort of big white, double-sided illuminated wall is obtained. The
back-illumination greatly enhances the carved drawings, resulting
in a very impressive interplay of light and shadow. Definitely,
the suggestive effect obtained convinced curators to use this
mounting scheme in every subsequent exhibition. Nevertheless,
this curatorial choice involved some drawback from a conservative
point of view. Indeed, the careful survey of the artwork carried out
in 20101 evidenced several deterioration signs, of both mechanical
and photochemical origin. Crumbling and some small breakages
were observed mainly on the edges, whereas diffuse yellowing
and chromatic alterations were observed on both the sides of
the panel’s surfaces. Based on these findings, the research team
decided to try to find conservative measures suitable for pre-
venting further deterioration of the artwork. The first hypothesis
was that the yellowing and chromatic alterations could, likely, be
attributed to the effects of the fluorescent tubes used to backlight
the EPS panels. By contrast, the diffuse embrittlement of the edges
of the panels was attributed to the unavoidable handling of the
panels, repeatedly fixed to the wooden structure by use of pins. In
sum, the different causes of damage were considered to be mainly
1
The Contemporary Art Center “Luigi Pecci” commissioned a survey of the art-
work Cartoline in 2010. The condition report was compiled by the restorer Rachel
Morellet (private communication).
due to the specific assembling scheme adopted. Nonetheless, in
order to propose alternative display solutions that could meet
aesthetical and curatorial needs without any detriment to the
artwork itself, the main causes of deterioration had to be known
for certain. For this purpose an in situ scientific campaign was
planned and performed.
3. Experimental
3.1. In situ campaign of FORS measurements
FORS is a non-invasive technique, and it is implemented with
portable instrumentation. It may therefore be used extensively and
repeatedly to attain spectral characterization of any desired point
on the object surface. In this case, FORS appeared to be the ideal
tool for performing a preliminary non-invasive investigation on the
artwork. The idea was to create a kind of “map” of the degraded
regions by acquiring UV-Vis-NIR reflectance spectra over different
areas of the panel surface, so as to evidence the possible photo-
induced spectral alterations due to the fluorescent tube’s action.
FORS measurements were performed in situ by using a portable
spectroanalyser Zeiss Mod.MCS501, based on a 1024 silicon pho-
todiodes linear array, operating in the 200–1050 nm range with
2.4 nm spectral resolution. The light source was a Xenon lamp
Zeiss Mod. CLX500 emitting in the 280–900 nm range. A bundle of
quartz-silica optical fibres, transmitting in the 200–1050 nm spec-
tral region, was used to convey the radiation from the lamp to the
target surface and to send the reflected signal back to the spec-
troanalyser. The optical fibres bundle was connected to a self-built
probe head with 8◦ /8◦ illumination/collection geometry (Fig. 3) that
allowed the exclusion of the specular component of the reflected
signal. Additionally, the probe-head turned out to be suitable for
minimising the risks of imprints on the soft EPS surface due to con-
tact by the probe. A certified 99% diffusing reflectance standard
Spectralon® was used as white reference for calibration before
 C. Cucci et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 14 (2013) 290–296
Fig. 3. In situ measurement campaign at the Contemporary Art Centre “Luigi Pecci”:
a detail of the 8◦ /8◦ probe-head connected to the optical fibre bundle used to acquire
the reflectance spectra on the Panel n.1 of the artwork Cartoline.
each measurement session. This set-up allowed collection of highly
resolved reflectance spectra in the 300–800 nm range, which was
found to be the interval of interest for detecting photo-induced
alterations on EPS surface (Section 3.2).
Two in situ experimental campaigns were carried out at the
Pecci Museum: the first one, performed on March 2010 on four
selected panels of the artwork, was a feasibility study aimed at
establishing the effectiveness of FORS in revealing alterations on
EPS. Based on the successful preliminary results obtained, the sec-
ond campaign, performed on September 2010, was an in-depth
study of one selected panel (labelled as “Panel n.1”). The aim was
to map the spectral differences between the differently degraded
areas of the panel. To this purpose, a statistically meaningful data
set was obtained by measuring 50 spectra over different regions on
the surfaces of Panel n.1 (Fig. 4).
Spectra were acquired on both sides of the panel with a careful
choice of the points aimed at studying the differences between the
areas closest to the fluorescent tubes and those less exposed. Each
Fig. 4. Points measured by means of FORS on the Panel n.1 of the artwork Cartoline.
Red numbers: points measured on the front (March 2010). Blue numbers: points on
the front of the panel (September 2010). Cyan numbers: points on the back of the
panel (September 2010).
293
Fig. 5. A laboratory test aimed at simulating the real conditions of the artwork
illuminated with fluorescent tubes.
measurement was repeated five times on every selected point, and
the corresponding average spectrum was calculated.
3.2. Laboratory tests on artificially aged samples
In order to investigate whether and how the EPS spectral fea-
tures in the UV-Vis-NIR range could be affected by exposure to the
light, a series of laboratory test was also performed on EPS sam-
ples submitted to artificial accelerated light ageing. The goal of
this laboratory experiment was to provide spectral data useful in
interpreting the behaviour of the reflectance spectra acquired from
examination of the artwork.
Samples of commercial EPS were exposed under a halogen lamp
(mod. PHILIPS MASTER Colour, with colour temperature 4200 K)
for an overall period of 1540 hours. The exposure conditions were
continuously monitored by means of a data-logger (Mod. ELSEC
774 Environmental Data). The average light intensity on the sam-
ple surface was I = 1070 lux, whereas the average UV component
measured was UV = 443 ␮W/m2 . Although different from the fluo-
rescent tubes used to illuminate the artwork, a halogen lamp was
chosen to perform the EPS light ageing to simulate the environmen-
tal lighting typical of a museum. The halogen lamp, as well as one of
the fluorescent tubes (Mod. Philips Master TL6 High efficiency eco)
that was employed to illuminate the artwork, were spectrally char-
acterised. Although diverse, the two spectral distributions did not
show significant spectral differences and were therefore assumed
to be comparable.
Without any claim of exactly reproducing the real situation,
a simulation test was also performed primarily to validate the
comparability of the laboratory ageing tests with the exposure con-
ditions of the artwork. Thus, as reported in Fig. 5, a fluorescent tube
(the same as the ones used for the artwork illumination) positioned
on a wood base was placed over an EPS sheet, and the average illu-
mination conditions were measured at various distances from the
tube. The illumination measured at 5 cm from the tube was about
6700 lux, whereas the value decreased to about 1000 lux at 40 cm.
This test had to be considered as merely indicative since the illu-
mination field of the tube was found to be highly inhomogeneous.
Nevertheless, it showed that the illumination intensities adopted
for the artificial ageing could be considered comparable with the
real case.
In order to study the possible spectral variations induced by
exposure of EPS to this radiation, the aged EPS samples were
spectrally characterised at different stages of ageing – namely at
294 C. Cucci et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 14 (2013) 290–296
Fig. 6. Normalised absorbance spectra measured on the n.17, 25, 34 and 37 points,
respectively, on the front and on the backside of the Panel n.1. The spectra may be
grouped in two classes, corresponding to degraded and non-degraded areas of the
panel.
time 0 (T0), after 3 months (T1), 5 months (T2), and 10 months
(T3) of exposure. The reflectance spectra over the 200–2500 nm
range were measured using a bench double-beam and double-
monochromator spectrophotometer (Perkin Elmer Mod. Lambda
1050) equipped with a 60 mm integrating sphere operating in the
0◦ /d measurement geometry. Based on these tests, the UV-Vis
region was singled out as the most meaningful to highlight photo-
induced effects on EPS, whereas the NIR region turned out to be
non-informative for this purpose. Additionally, in order to ensure
the comparability of the spectra of artificially aged EPS with the
data acquired on the artwork, the artificially aged samples were
measured by means of FORS, using the same configuration as that
one adopted for the in situ measurements.
4. Results and discussion
The first objective of the scientific analysis was to ascertain
the possible origin of the degradation signs observed on the art-
work. As anticipated, several EPS panels showed yellowed areas and
unevenness in colour, which appeared enhanced under the effect of
the back-illumination. Nevertheless, the hypothesis of detrimental
action of the fluorescent tubes had to be validated, because a clear
relationship between the location of yellowed areas and the action
of fluorescent tubes was not clearly recognisable on the basis of
the simple visual inspection. Additionally, by examining the pan-
els under raking light, a 10 cm wide strip with a higher roughness
than the central areas of the panel was observed along the entire
perimeter. This effect was present on both the sides of each EPS
panel examined. The mechanical damages were mainly observed
on the edges of the panels, and they were unmistakably caused by
the repeated use of pins to fix the panels to the wood structure.
The FORS spectra acquired on the Panel n.1 were exploited to
investigate the possible effects of fluorescent tubes on the EPS. In
particular, the UV-Vis spectra acquired at different distances from
the position of the fluorescent tube were analysed and mutually
compared.
In Fig. 6 the typical behaviours of the absorbance spectra mea-
sured on both the front and backside of the panel are reported.
These spectra refer to the n.17 and n.25 points on the front of the
panel, and to the n.34 and 37 points on the backside (Fig. 4). As can
Fig. 7. Normalised absorbance spectra measured on the light-aged EPS samples
exposed in controlled conditions under a halogen light with average Illuminance
I = 1040 lux and UV = 443 ␮W/m2 . The overall exposure lasted 10 months (from June
2010 to May 2011), with periodic measurements made at T0 = un-aged; T1 = after
3 months; T2 = after 5 months; T3 = after 10 months.
be noted, the points n.17 and n.34 show a similar behaviour, with
an absorbance band in the 300–400 nm region, which is not present
in the spectra of n.37 and n.25 points. Observation of the respective
positions of these spots on the panel shows that the point n.17 is
located on an embrittled area in the edge of the front side, whereas
the n.25 is in a central area of the front side, which is less likely to
be exposed to external agents. Analogously, the different spectral
behaviours of the points on the back side may be explained by not-
ing that the point n.34 is very close to the position of the fluorescent
tube, whereas the n.37 is at a distance higher than 40 cm from it,
thus less exposed to the light. Similar data were obtained for all the
other points measured in the area close to the tube position, as well
as on the perimeter of the front edge of the panel.
The absorbance band in the 300–400 nm region was tentatively
interpreted as a possible marker of degradation. This hypothesis
was confirmed by the analysis of the spectra acquired on the artifi-
cially light-aged EPS samples treated in the laboratory, as reported
in Fig. 7.
The absorbance spectra acquired on progressively aged samples
show, indeed, that as the exposure to the light increases, corre-
spondingly an absorption band in the 300–400 nm region appears
and its intensity increases with the length of exposure time. It has
to be noted that this band was not observable in the un-aged sam-
ple (T0). The above experimental data, although not sufficient to
provide a complete interpretation of the chemical origin of the
growing band, were found to be consistent with other studies
reported in literature [25].
The Vis spectral data were also used to make the colorimetric
analysis within the CIElab76 Colour system [26]. The colorimet-
ric analysis of the artificially light-aged EPS samples showed that,
despite the observed spectral change, no significant colour vari-
ation could be revealed. This was an important result, one that
suggested that the degradation of the material is early detectable
by a spectral change in the 300–400 nm region without a corre-
sponding colour variation. Thus, UV-Vis FORS measurements could
be considered as a useful preventive tool for revealing incipient
degradation phenomena not detectable by simple visual inspec-
tion. It is worthwhile to emphasise that the colorimetric analysis of
data acquired on Cartoline did not evidence any measurable chro-
matic difference between the peripheral and the central areas of
 C. Cucci et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 14 (2013) 290–296
Fig. 8. Scheme of the distribution of degraded areas on the Panel n.1 based on the spectral data measured by FORS.
the front side of the panel. Conversely, a slight tendency to yellow-
ing (b* > 0) was revealed on the back of the panels, as expected,
within the areas closest to the fluorescent tubes.
Although the above outcomes could be considered only prelim-
inary and qualitative, some important conclusions and indications
can be drawn on the basis of these results. First of all, an indirect
confirmation of the suspected detrimental action of the fluorescent
tubes was obtained. Additionally, it was evident that the observed
colour unevenness of the front of the panels was not simply explain-
able with a photo-induced degradation because these areas were
not characterised by spectral behaviours similar to those typical of
aged material. Thus, other additional degradation external agents,
such as dust depositions and repeated handling, were supposed to
have a role in determining the present conditions of the panels.
The overall analysis performed made it possible to build a kind
of map of the degraded areas on the basis of the spectral charac-
teristics observed (Fig. 8). Thus, FORS spectra could be effectively
exploited to detect alterations of the EPS surface not observable by
the naked eye.
5. The interview with the artist
The results of the scientific analysis based on non-invasive UV-
Vis-NIR spectroscopy, though non exhaustive, clearly indicated that
the prolonged exposure of the EPS to the fluorescent tubes could be
deleterious. Moreover, the mechanical damages and the friability
of the edges of the panels could, likely, be attributed to repeated
handling and to the use of pins to fix the artwork to the wood
structure.
Based on all these findings, it is recommended that other mount-
ing schemes, more compatible with safeguarding the artwork
Cartoline, be adopted. On the other hand, because illumination
seemed to be important to the artist, Stefano Arienti, it was decided
to seek his opinion.
The importance of the interaction with the artists in contempo-
rary art conservation is, indeed, widely recognised, and the recourse
to interviews as tool for problems solving is strongly recommended
[1,2].
295
The Stefano Arienti interview was conducted in his studio in
Milan on 22 September 2010 [27]. The conversation was focused
on the artwork Cartoline, with regard to its history, the artistic
techniques and the reasons for the choice of the material. Also,
more general issues were discussed, such as the artist’s opinions
about the decay of artworks and conservation and restoration inter-
ventions. In particular, the artist’s point of view on the mounting
scheme and on the role of the retro-illumination in the artwork
Cartoline was one of complete openness to changes to the set-up
currently in use. Following the interview, an intervention program
for Cartoline was initiated and it is now on-going. The program’s
goal is to select a different light sources and a new mounting
scheme, both of which will minimise the impact on the EPS.
6. Conclusions
The study presented evidences the advantages of a multidisci-
plinary approach to the solution of conservative problem in the
field of contemporary art. In particular, this paper describes and
discusses the results of an interdisciplinary study performed on
the EPS artwork “Cartoline”.
In situ FORS measurements were performed on selected pan-
els by means of non-invasive UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, in order
to gain in-depth information about their conservation state and
to identify the main agents responsible for the observed degrada-
tion. The spectroscopic analysis made it possible to build a map of
the degraded areas and to ascertain the detrimental actions of the
fluorescent tubes used to back illuminate the artwork. The mea-
surements evidenced a spectral alteration of the EPS in the areas
close to the positions of the light sources.
As part of the wider Project POPART, this paper may also be
considered to be a pilot study to determine the applicability and
the effectiveness of the FORS technique for the analysis of plas-
tics. In the specific case examined, FORS was able to detect EPS
alterations before the chromatic effects become visually evident.
The scientific investigations, although limited to few panels, vali-
dated the hypothesis that a preservation program for Cartoline had
to include a modified mounting scheme and a different illumination
system. These results were presented to the artist Stefano Arienti,
296 C. Cucci et al. / Journal of Cultural Heritage 14 (2013) 290–296
whose openness to change was crucial to the proposal of alterative
solutions for the maintenance of the artwork.
Acknowledgements
The research leading to these results was partially funded
from the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme
FP7/2007-2013 within Research Project POPART (grant agreement
No. 212218).
Authors wish to acknowledge the Direction of the Contempo-
rary Art Center “Luigi Pecci” in Prato for offering the opportunity of
performing in situ investigations on the artwork Cartoline, and in
particular Elena Pecci, Marco Bazzini, Stefano Pezzato and Raffaele
Di Vaia for their kindness and fruitful collaboration. A special thank
is due to the artist Stefano Arienti, for his courtesy, helpfulness and
precious contribution to this research. The restorer Rachel Morellet
is also gratefully acknowledged for kindly providing the condition
report on the artwork.
Part of the technical apparatus used for aboratory test was kindly
provided by the technical services section of the Uffizi Gallery in
Florence.
Finally, authors are particularly grateful to Mauro Bacci and Mar-
vin Gore for useful discussions and suggestions.
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