Paper
The Gallery's Paper Conservation team incorporates Mountcutting and Framing and is responsible for the conservation and preparation of works of art on paper in the national collection for internal exhibitions, travelling exhibitions and loans to Australian and international institutions. The collection comprises a diverse range of works of art on paper including prints, drawings, paintings, photographs, books, manuscripts, folding screens, scrolls, and a variety of other mixed media works.
Works of art on paper can be either incredibly fragile or tremendously robust depending on the source and quality of the paper fibres and the method of manufacture. External environmental factors also play a huge role in the longevity of a paper artefact. As well as treating and repairing damaged works on paper, the Paper Conservation team strive to preserve the collection by maintaining close-to-ideal storage, handling and display conditions and using only archival quality mounting materials. Our Paper Conservators can just as often be seen installing a delicate piece in the galleries or condition-reporting works for loan as undertaking treatments on damaged art, or using scientific analysis to identify media, materials and artist’s technique.

Margaret Worth, Samsara 13, 1968, Purchased 1994 and Normana Wight, Untitled - yellow to blue, 1967, Gift of the artist 2013. Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.

Amie Kingston, Fan: design for untitled ballet with music by Esther Rofe, c.1943, Gift of the artist 1988.

Thea Proctor The Game 1926 and The Swing 1925 ©️ Art Gallery of New South Wales]

Paper Conservation with Thea Proctor’s ‘The swing.’, 1925, purchased 1973, © Art Gallery of New South Wales
Whistler's Watermarks Project

Foolscap watermark
Explore the fascinating world of paper watermarks through this in-depth research project undertaken by the Paper Conservation team. Investigating the works of inventive printmaker James McNeill Whistler, the project discusses the history, motifs, and meanings of many iconic watermarks as well as the history of paper making in Europe.