Meeting of the International Memling Commission

Zdjęcie grupowe uczestniczek i uczestników spotkania w jasnym wnętrzu Muzeum Narodowego w Gdańsku. Grupa kilkunastu osób pozuje do zdjęcia, a w tle widoczny jest fragment monumentalnego obrazu „Sąd Ostateczny” Hansa Memlinga.

On 29 September, a meeting of the International Memling Commission was held at the Medieval and Early Modern Art Department on Toruńska Street. The Commission is a group of external experts appointed by the museum in 2021 to advise on decisions concerning the care of Hans Memling’s The Last Judgement. This year, a second Commission was appointed for a new term, and held its first meeting. Its members are primarily conservation specialists, representing an international group of experts from institutions responsible for similar collections or with experience in the research and conservation of objects from comparable historical periods.

The meeting focused on the issue that is currently our highest priority: finding a new way of displaying the triptych that would ensure its safety while also making it more accessible to visitors. Drawing on the extensive experience of our guests, we were able to consult them on the solutions we would like to implement. The meeting also included a presentation of the progress made so far on the project, including non-invasive research carried out on the painting. We are planning to organise a similar meeting for visitors in the near future.

Members of the Commission:

Chair: Till-Holger Borchert, Director of the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Aachen

Dr Łukasz Bratasz, Head of the Research Group at the Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences

Dr Aleksandra Hola, Chief Conservator, Wawel Royal Castle

Dr Hélène Dubois, Head of Project, Conservation of the Ghent Altarpiece, KIK-IRPA, Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, Belgium

Griet Steyaert, Painting Conservator – Coordinator, Scientific Research – Ghent Altarpiece Restoration Team, KIK-IRPA, Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, Belgium

Michał Łukomski, Head of Preventive Conservation Research, Getty Conservation Institute

Emeritus Prof. Jørgen Wadum, Conservator, WATS – Wadum Art Technological Studies

Lynne Harrison, Conservation, Faculty Member, National Gallery, London