Obituaries

Obituary: Andrea Rothe

Submitted by Sharra Grow on

Andrea Rothe at the J. Paul Getty Museum, 1988. Photograph courtesy J. Paul Getty Museum

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Andrea Rothe who served as Senior Conservator of Paintings at the Getty Museum for over twenty years. Born in Italy of German parents, he studied conservation in Florence and Vienna and was an assistant to the artist Oskar Kokoschka before becoming a private conservator for the Italian state. He worked on a number of important paintings at museums and churches across Italy, and eventually became head of the prominent paintings conservation studio housed at the Pitti Palace. Equally notable was his role in saving many paintings damaged in the Arno flooding (1966) as well as his presence at many professional conferences, which made him an international figure in the conservation field.

Obituary: Colin Pearson

Submitted by Graham Voce on

Dr Colin Pearson © Julian Bickersteth

Vale Dr Colin Pearson, “Father of the Conservation Profession in Australia”, friend and mentor to generations of conservators in Australia and internationally. The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material (AICCM) is saddened to report the death of Dr Colin Pearson, AO, MBE on Sunday 17th April 2016. Colin was a former Council member and Vice President of IIC.

Obituary: Christopher Clarkson

Submitted by Barbara Borghese on

Christopher Clarkson, who died just before midnight on Thursday 30 March 2017 at the age of 79, was the pre-eminent conservator of medieval manuscripts and early printed books and a much-respected historian of book-binding and in particular of the structural history of bookbinding, specializing in the period from the birth of the codex to the early Renaissance.

Obituary: Tom Stone

Submitted by Graham Voce on

It is with great sadness that we wish to convey the passing of Tom Stone on Saturday December 6th, 2014, in his 68th year. Tom was a highly regarded leader in ethnographic conservation and has left an indelible mark in the field of objects conservation in Canada and beyond.

Obituary: Gustav Berger

Submitted by Graham Voce on


Gustav Berger, paintings conservator known for his innovative approaches to our profession, died on March 5, 2006 at the age of 85. He was born in Vienna on July 28, 1920. He painted when he was young and had an exhibition of his paintings in Vienna when he was only 18 years old. He studied Civil Engineering at the Haifa Technical Institute served with the British Army from 1940 to 1946 and with the Israel Defense Forces from 1947-48. He was trained in photogrammetry and made maps from photographs in Israel.

Obituary: Emil Bosshard

Submitted by Graham Voce on

Emil Bosshard died on 9 Febuary 2006 after two years of fighting a very aggressive Leukaemia, leaving his wife Veronika and their two children, Titus (27) and Miriam (23).

Obituary: Dr A E A Werner

Submitted by Graham Voce on

Tony Werner, Keeper of the British Museum Research Laboratory, 1959-1975, and Chairman of the Pacific Regional Conservation center based at the Bernice P Bishop Museum in Honolulu, 1975 -1982, died in Hobart, Tasmania, on 21 January 2006 aged 94.

Obituary: Robert Organ – pioneer of the forensic investigation of antiquities

Submitted by Graham Voce on

Robert Organ at work © Andrew Oddy

Robert Organ, who died on 11th October 2011 aged 91, was almost the last survivor of the second generation of scientists who applied their expertise in a handful of museums and universities to the conservation and examination of antiquities in the years immediately following the Second World War.

Obituary: A Tribute to Giorgio Torraca (1927-2010)

Submitted by Jerry Podany on

Photograph of Giorgio Toracca

None of us are untouched by the loss of Giorgio Torraca, one of the most generous, enthusiastic, and productive members of the preservation community. His contributions are legion and directly or indirectly he was a mentor to all who work toward the conservation of world heritage. The listing of his achievements will be made many times in the coming years.

25 Sep 2010