Argentina is assisting Guyana in the restoration and conservation of several works of visual art belonging to the National Collection of Art housed at the National Gallery of Art.
A joint statement issued by the Ministry of Education and the Argentine Embassy said two internationally recognized experts will be visiting Guyana between September 2-8 to help in the restoration.
The visit is being financed by the Fund for South-South Cooperation administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina.
Collaborative effort between governments
The statement noted that the visit results from a collaborative effort between the two governments “involving the restoration and conservation, over a period of time, of a number of works of art.
“The project will be implemented by the “TALLER TAREA” of the Cultural Heritage Research Institute (TAREA-IIPC) at the National University of San Martín (UNSAM) located in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The project will be conducted in coordination and collaboration between the National Gallery of Art of Guyana and the experts of TAREA-IIPC UNSAM.
Exploratory mission
“This visit is essentially an exploratory mission in which the Argentine team will be conducting a first assessment of the damaged works of art, most of them oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, canvas boards, tentest and tentest lined with fabric. After the assessment, a proposal will be put in place on the way forward to implement the project” according to the statement.
In 2014, Guyana’s National Gallery of Art, Castellani House, discovered a number of its prized paintings and works from its Repository of the National Collection had deteriorated.
The TAREA-IIPC UNSAM experts will create and install capabilities and create a pool of human resources that will receive further training in the next stages of the project,” the statement noted.
