The Met Unveils State-of-the-Art Paper Conservation Lab

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has officially opened the doors to its newly constructed, $10 million Paper Conservation Laboratory. This massive, incredibly sophisticated facility drastically enhances the museum's capacity to study, preserve, and restore its vast collection of over one million incredibly fragile prints, drawings, and photographs.

The new laboratory is an absolute marvel of modern environmental engineering. The massive space features a completely bespoke, highly advanced HVAC system capable of maintaining absolute, unwavering temperature and humidity control, which is absolutely critical when handling 500-year-old, highly reactive organic materials like parchment, vellum, and handmade rag paper.

The facility is equipped with an unprecedented array of cutting-edge analytical technology. Conservators now have direct access to highly specialized equipment, including an incredibly powerful scanning electron microscope for identifying microscopic pigment particles, and advanced multi-spectral imaging systems that can reveal faded, entirely invisible underdrawings or watermarks without physically touching the delicate artwork.

A major feature of the new lab is a massive, custom-built 'wet treatment' area. This highly specialized zone includes massive, extremely shallow stainless steel sinks equipped with highly advanced, multi-stage water filtration systems. This allows conservators to perform incredibly delicate, highly controlled chemical washings to safely remove centuries of highly acidic, paper-destroying stains and discoloration.

Recognizing the intense public interest in the hidden world of museum conservation, the architects designed the laboratory with a massive, soundproof glass viewing wall facing a public corridor. This innovative feature allows museum visitors to watch the highly skilled conservators at work in real-time, providing a fascinating, transparent look at the incredibly complex science of art preservation.