Conservator Merj Nesi on the eve of the sculpture’s permanent museum exhibition
What the artist wants
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Conservator Merj Nesi zeros in on the artist’s intentions before her museum debut.
"She is the first woman artist whose works I have ever restored", conservator Merj Nesi explains when asked about her experience restoring Antonietta Raphael Mafai’s sculptor of Mrs. della Ragione. "Before I started maintenance on this piece, it took a lot of research to decide what she would have wanted. Diagnosing its needs was extremely complex, as it seemed that time had shown no mercy, despite the relatively few decades that have passed since its creation. I scoured her personal diaries and discovered techniques she had used on other works. Thankfully, she was a prolific writer. She wanted her statues to have their greenish or rusty effects. Based on her journal entries, I realized she was aiming for the varied textures and colors that only corrosion can provide!" A word about the conservator: AWA believes it’s important to support women who work in the field of restoration. Merj decided that she wanted to be a metals restorer after her family dissuaded her from her first career choice: to become a plumber. (Merj still fondly remembers having spent many happy afternoons helping fix drainpipes alongside her father, in the family business).
"She is the first woman artist whose works I have ever restored", conservator Merj Nesi explains when asked about her experience restoring Antonietta Raphael Mafai’s sculptor of Mrs. della Ragione. "Before I started maintenance on this piece, it took a lot of research to decide what she would have wanted. Diagnosing its needs was extremely complex, as it seemed that time had shown no mercy, despite the relatively few decades that have passed since its creation. I scoured her personal diaries and discovered techniques she had used on other works. Thankfully, she was a prolific writer. She wanted her statues to have their greenish or rusty effects. Based on her journal entries, I realized she was aiming for the varied textures and colors that only corrosion can provide!" A word about the conservator: AWA believes it’s important to support women who work in the field of restoration. Merj decided that she wanted to be a metals restorer after her family dissuaded her from her first career choice: to become a plumber. (Merj still fondly remembers having spent many happy afternoons helping fix drainpipes alongside her father, in the family business).