The Lifecycle of Artworks: From Acquisition to Exhibition

At Mathaf, the journey of an artwork is a carefully orchestrated process, ensuring that each piece, whether newly acquired, commissioned, donated, or loaned, is preserved and presented to the public in the best possible condition.

Quarantine and Storage

When newly acquired artworks arrive at Mathaf, they are first sent to an offsite storage area. Here, they are placed in a temporary isolation room, known as the quarantine room. This is because materials used in artwork packaging and crating, like wood, can attract pests or mould.

If an infested work enters a museum's storage, for example, insects can rapidly spread to nearby materials – particularly organic ones such as wood, textiles, paper, leather, and natural fibers. This can lead to irreversible damage, including holes, staining, and the overall structural weakening of affected artworks.

Therefore, artworks remain in this offsite holding area and are only introduced to the rest of the collection after the museum’s conservation team has checked the condition of each piece.

Crates, Transport and Art Handling

Artworks selected for exhibition are carefully packed into custom-made crates lined with acid-free, buffered materials, designed to protect the artworks during transport. These crates are built to resist shock and temperature changes and transported via a dedicated truck designed for fine art transport. Once artworks arrive at the museum, art handlers take special care to safely unload the crates. The unloading takes place at a specially designed loading dock near Mathaf’s Conservation Lab, ensuring a smooth and safe transfer of artworks and equipment without risk of damage.

Conservation process

In the Conservation Lab, artworks are examined to understand if any care is needed. Conservation treatments are designed to improve physical condition and appearance using safe and stable materials. This may involve cleaning all surfaces, stabilising fragile areas (like preventing paint from flaking or sculptures from cracking), repairing or aesthetically retouching any damage. If needed, some parts of an artwork may be replaced to ensure its structure is solid. Every step of the process is thoroughly documented with photos in the collections’ management software (known as EMu).

Exhibition, Post-exhibition and Storage

After conservation, artworks are moved to the galleries where they are displayed until the exhibition ends. Museums regularly rotate their collections to keep displays fresh and engaging, but also organise several temporary exhibitions with specific thematics. Once an exhibition is over, the artworks are re-examined by conservators and then carefully packed again before being transferred back to offsite storage. There, they are safely kept under optimal conditions, i.e. darkened room, regulated temperature - and humidity-controlled, until they are needed for the next exhibition.

At Mathaf, every artwork follows a carefully planned journey from the moment it arrives until it is displayed for public viewing. Through each stage – whether  it's careful transportation, expert conservation, or display – Mathaf ensures that each piece is preserved, accessible to the public and appreciated for years to come. By following this process, the museum continues to provide a dynamic space where modern and contemporary Arab art can thrive, connect with global audiences, and spark new conversations.

Dr Stefani Kavda is the Head of Conservation at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art.