Behind the Scenes: The New Conservation Lab at the Museum of Fine Arts

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston holds over 65,000 objects in its many collections, including the house museums of Bayou Bend and Rienzi. While not apparent to most visitors there is an entire department dedicated to the care of these objects. For many years, this staff was scattered over various sites; in September 2018, it was united under one roof in the newly christened Sarah Campbell Blaffer Foundation Center for Conservation. Located atop the Binz Street parking garage, the conservation center was designed by Lake|Flato Architects and houses state-of-the art labs and north-lit studios.

David Bomford, chair of conservation and Audrey Jones Beck Curator in the department of European art at the MFAH, led this effort and will guide us through this striking facility. Before joining the MFAH staff in October 2012, David Bomford was acting director of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, where he had previously been associate director of collections. He was a senior restorer at London’s National Gallery for almost 40 years. He has contributed to his field as an author and scholar as well as serving as Secretary General of the International Institute for Conservation. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s in organometallic chemistry from the University of Sussex before entering the field of art conservation. His fine reputation is built on his fundamental understanding of chemistry combined with keen observation and knowledge of art history.