From 2006 to 2009, the Tate in London received the AXA ART Research Grant to fund the Tate AXA ART Modern Paints Project (TAAMPP).

The AXA ART Group’s grant facilitated groundbreaking conservation research on artworks containing acrylic paints. This three year project evaluated the effects of different cleaning techniques on acrylic paintings. TAAMPP aimed at characterizing the short and long-term effects of surface cleaning treatments on acrylic-emulsion-based works of art. The project has delivered multiple international publications, numerous presentations, and developed practical workshops to disseminate research findings and engage conservators in debate and discussion on the care and conservation of these works of art.

The project was headed up by Dr. Bronwyn Ormsby, Senior Conservation Scientist at the Tate, and Dr. Elina Kampasakali, the AXA ART Research Fellow, based at the Tate Conservation Science Department at Millbank. Five paintings in the Tate’s collection received surface cleaning and were further scientifically evaluated after each treatment performed. The paintings analyzed were:

• Untitled 2/72 (1972) by Jeremy Moon
• Portrait of Brooke Hayward (1973) by Andy Warhol
• Andromeda (1962) by Alexander Liberman
• 25.4.69 (1969) by John Hoyland
• Painting with Three Spots, One Blue and Two Yellow (1970) by Bernard Cohen

In late 2010, TAAMPP was named the winner of The Anna Plowden Trust Award for Research and Innovation in Conservation. This prestigious award is given annually to completed research or development projects that have advanced the knowledge of conservation.

For more information, visit the TAAMPP Project page.