The Sculpture Conservation Studio renovates objects made of traditional sculptural materials, such as stone, gypsum, terracotta, clay, and also works of contemporary art which use and combine a wide range of unusual materials previously unassociated with sculpture in addition to classic ones.

The studio’s focus areas include conservation of plastics, a relatively new challenge. The change mechanisms observed in plastics are not yet fully understood, and given the fact that they are irreversible, the primary role of the conservator is preventive, through creating adequate storage conditions for such objects to retard the degradation processes as much as possible.

Among the sculptural objects made of plastic in the collection of the National Museum in Krakow, the most valuable and best known are the works of Alina Szapocznikow. The museum holds a huge and very valuable set of works by this celebrated artist. A special place is occupied by over a dozen sculptural compositions made of synthetic resins (Herbarium series, Piotr in Full Length, and Alina’s Funeral), which have undergone conservation procedures in our Sculpture Conservation Studio.
In recent years, these works have been shown in a series of enthusiastically received exhibitions at leading cultural centres in Europe and the United States, e.g. WIELS in Brussels and MoMA in New York.

In the works of contemporary artists we encounter a variety of complex conservation problems, occasioned by the unusual, often impermanent technologies involved in their making. Each object requires an individual approach, which often calls for innovative solutions.